Dear Santa
by Dark Roswellian Angel
Summary: 8- short ptr. It's Christmas time, and several people are writing their letters to Santa. A lot have a recurring theme. Find out what it is and whether or not Santa will respond. 1 chapter/day to Christmas!
1. The Letters

Title: Dear Santa

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I do. I so totally do. Which means that Alec will, of course, be waiting for me in my stocking Christmas morning. Bring on the Christmas cheer :)

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

Rating: K+, just in case

Synopsis: 7-(short)parter. Snow Day in Las Vegas, NV put me in the mood. It's Christmas time, and several people are writing their letters to Santa. A lot of those letters seem to have a recurring theme. Find out what it is and whether or not Santa will respond. I will update one chapter a day and finish on Christmas Day- It's a Merry Christmas present to my readers.

A/N: I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I've updated. I could give excuses regarding losing the other Special Ed teacher at our school and finding myself taking care of the entire school's worth of Resource kids with no aide (33+) or the fact that my sister is moving into a house and needs help or that my niece and nephews are absolutely adorable (and time-consuming) or the fact that I'm just about to start the Special Ed Doctoral Program and have been preparing for it, but I won't. It's been wrong, and I apologize. I also know that I should be updating the stories that I left behind, and I have been working on them in addition to a couple of other fics and a longer fic that I'm totally enjoying, but I wanted to ease my way back into this. I will try to update some of the others today. Like I say on my profile, I may get sidetracked, but I won't ever drop a fic.

* * *

It was their busiest season of the year, but with just one week left before their big night, all the elves in Santa's Village dropped their current projects when the Mail Call Bell rang. Faster than even Santa's reindeer, they all flew to the Opening Room where Santa was just about to sit down in his giant red plush chair with the postal sack sitting beside it. With a booming "Ho, ho, ho, now what do we have here?" he opened the burlap bag and peered in. The first letter had hastily-scrawled writing on the envelope. Santa looked at it for a moment wondering how the mailman was ever able to read what it said, and then opened it.

_Hey Santa Dude,_

_So, I know I swore that you'd never hear from me after you got me out of that whole "mistletoein' with the wrong girl" deal, but I got another problem. You remember the girl that caught me mistletoein' with the wrong girl? Her name was Natalie, and we were gonna get married and then I blew it- I know, go figure. Anyway, I really, really miss her, and so I was wondering if you might be able to help me out. I know she moved to Granite Falls, but I was thinking maybe you could make her come back here. Maybe have us run into each other again? 'Cause I really, really do miss her. And I swear that I'll take care of her this time- not like last time at all. Oh, and by the way, could you possibly do something about Max and Alec? 'Cause they are like seriously driving each other and everyone around them crazy. Even Normal's getting tired of Alec, and Max is just becoming really, really grumpy, which winds up with a lot of us guys walking weird. Don't get me wrong- I totally love them both. Max is awesome and seriously hot and always gets me out of jams. And Alec is like totally my mentor and fun and a great buddy to hang out with and gets me into all kinds of jams- hey, wait a minute… Anyways, they're being even worse to each other than they are to everybody else. Talk about some serious UST- you know what I'm talkin' about right? Oh… maybe you don't… you are like thousands of years old and all and I bet Mrs. Claus is about the same… man… Oh! I didn't mean it like that. I better stop now. Anyways, if you do this for me, I swear I won't ever bother you again- stack of Bibles and everything. Not like last time._

_Thanks Dude,_

_Sketchy_

_Oh, by the way, could you possibly bring Herbal and Kendra back? 'Cause I miss them too._

As he'd read the letter aloud, Santa's eyes had grown wider. This was hardly the normal letter he received asking for teddy bears and dollies, but by the time he'd read the writer's name, a knowing smile had lit his face. "Ah, I should have known." He turned to his elves and shrugged, "Sketchy," was all he had to say and they all nodded in agreement.

The second letter was much more clearly addressed, though all the writing seemed to be slightly slanted to the left. Santa's eyes rose- he didn't recall seeing this handwriting before. Something about it seemed somewhat off, but, as is his policy, he opened it anyway.

_Dear Santa Claus,_

_I don't usually do this, and I don't agree with all those reprobates out there who do, but I figured I should cover all my bases. See, my Golden Boy is going all wrong in the head, and I don't know what to do. Usually, I love listening to all his stories about his fights and his conquests; I even enjoy helping him clean up his messes in the love department, just like I'm his little valet. But lately, it's felt like he's just going through all the motions. He doesn't really care about any of the things he's talking about. And I think it's all Missy Miss' fault- she's being really, really mean to him lately. And the poor guy is taking it to heart, not like the rest of us who know that she's just full of it. He seems to really believe the things she says about him. And it's totally bringing us all down. So, I'm thinking there are really only two solutions- either you take her and drop her in the North Pole and make her into one of your really hot elf chicks or you make her realize that she's in love with him and this isn't the third grade and they are too old to be punching the ones they like in order to get their attention. We were all willing to let them figure out how perfect they are for each other in their own due time, but it's just getting to be too down and damaged around here. And I can't afford to refund one more unsatisfied customer when he loses their package or she breaks it. It's getting to be really expensive. Bip-bip-bi- ahem, I mean, Thanks._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Normal (Reagan Ronald)_

_P.S. If it isn't too much trouble, could you possibly send me a Supernatural poster- there's just something about that Dean Winchester that I can't seem to get over._

At the closure of the letter, Santa looked puzzled. Aside from the strange writer's requests, something seemed to be bothering him, but to his elves' questioning glances all he responded with was a long "Hmmmm."


	2. The Lowdown

Title: Dear Santa

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I do. I so totally do. Which means that Alec will, of course, be waiting for me in my stocking Christmas morning. Bring on the Christmas cheer :)

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

Rating: K+, just in case

Synopsis: 7-(short)parter. Snow Day in Las Vegas, NV put me in the mood. It's Christmas time, and several people are writing their letters to Santa. A lot of those letters seem to have a recurring theme. Find out what it is and whether or not Santa will respond. I will update one chapter a day and finish on Christmas Day- It's a Merry Christmas present to my readers.

A/N: So, here's my next installment. Sorry to anybody who read yesterday's bit before I fixed it. You got to see a bit more than I'd intended of today's deal and didn't get to read chapter 1 in its entirety. I had forgotten how to accurately upload- proof that it's been too long.

* * *

The next day there was a blizzard- it covered Santa's Village with a soft white blanket. The lights strewn along the buildings glowed through the snow giving everything a beautiful rosy hue. The whole effect was to create a winter wonderland that kept everyone inside hiding from the cold, but even the subzero temperatures weren't enough to keep the elves from responding when the Mail Call Bell sounded. As they opened the Opening Room's door they saw that Santa was wearing his brand new red shirt today- one of the elves had given it to him at the last office party. When he saw that the big man himself was actually using his present, he burned a bright pink in pleasure. After giving the worker a wink of appreciation, Santa turned to the task at hand.

_Dear Santa,_

_So I'm about to drop the lowdown on your a--, oops sorry, butt just like I done ever since I was a baby girl, even tho I know you ain't the real reason-for-the-season. I figure I been pretty good, all things considered. But I'm not really askin' nothin' for Original Cindy. _

_See, a few years ago I hooked up with my girl, not knowin' who she really is, and it's spun my world. Mostly in a good way. Nows I sees what's around me and see that maybe things can rise up from this broken life. And it's all 'cause o' her. She's gonna be the one what gets out there and fixes it. Only, I been watchin' her and ever since she got back here, she's been alternatin'- she can't seem to decide which person to be- EO's toolkit or herself. I get that she cares and respects her man, but I can't see that she done ever loved him. He ain't the right man for her. All he brings her is drama- pain and confusion and danger. I guess maybe afore I got into all this it was different- she cares about him so maybe it was. But all I seen is her hurtin' and gettin' all depressed and losin' what she really cares about 'cause he says it's the right thing for her to do all the sacrificin'- her family, her freedom, almost her life. I can't see as how all that's right, but in her mind he rules, so whateva'. _

_So that's what I'm really askin' for this year- for her. For her to be happy. For her to open her eyes or for him to be who she sees. For her to be safe. For her to have one place in this world where she can open up and be herself and be accepted and not have to worry if the person she loves really has her back or not, whether he's being all open to her or hiding parts o' himself from her. And if I'm gonna be totally straight up, I don't think that Logan is capable of all of that- I don't think he even wants to really know her- 'cause I know I'm not. Don't get me wrong- I love my girl. She will be my boo forever. I would die to take care of my girl, but not even I get her entirely. Even with me, she still feels like she has to hide part o' herself. And maybe she has a point to hidin' 'cause even if she tried to explain, I don't think I'd ever be able to really get it. 'Cause I ain't never been through everything she's been through, and I think her life is one of those dealios where if you ain't been there too you ain't ever gonna overstand. And if I ain't able to get it when I'm tryin' to keep my eyes open and I don't knock the gavel at her, I know Mr. Black-and-White Cale ain't gonna get her. So, I think maybe it's gonna have to be another guy- somebody who'll get her and understand her and love her for all her pieces and parts and be open to her and accept it when she's open wid him. And I think I may just know the perfect hot boy for the job, but I'll leave it up to yous. Just keep in mind that she kind o' likes the slightly-damaged type, and she's got the tall, deep eyes, gorgeous type bred into her. _

_So, that's what I'm askin' for 'cause when it all goes down, and one day I know it's goin' to, she's gonna need someone by her side who can fight as good as she can, who will have her back in ways that not even her best boo can, and who will help her see her way through all the hard times. And I'm hopin' that by then she will have made some good memories wid 'im so that she can have them helpin' her through too. _

_Thanks,_

_Original Cindy_

_P.S. If you really want to, I wouldn't be sayin' no to a new set of cosmetics too. You knows I'm almost out._

As he finished her letter, Santa sat back with a thoughtful look in his eyes. The elves looked on in appreciation. For many years now, OC's insights had been able to put him in this mood. She was a great favorite of theirs, and they all hoped Santa would be able to help her get her wish.


	3. The GENtle side of things

Title: Dear Santa

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I do. I so totally do. Which means that Alec will, of course, be waiting for me in my stocking Christmas morning. Bring on the Christmas cheer :)

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

Rating: K+, just in case

Synopsis: 7-(short)parter. Snow Day in Las Vegas, NV put me in the mood. It's Christmas time, and several people are writing their letters to Santa. A lot of those letters seem to have a recurring theme. Find out what it is and whether or not Santa will respond. I will update one chapter a day and finish on Christmas Day- It's a Merry Christmas present to my readers.

A/N: Part 3 is up. Yay! This was only going to be one letter, but Angelofdarkness78 had a great idea, so I'm going to use that in here- thanks :) Hope you all enjoy

* * *

This day started out a beautiful clear blue. The temperatures were so warm (only 10 below) that, had it not been just 4 days before Christmas, the elves would have been tempted to request the day off (even though they love their work, everybody needs a day to just play every once in a while). Still, even with all their work to do, once again they quickly assembled when they heard the Mail Call Bell chiming its "12 Days of Christmas" tune. Today they were in such a hurry that they actually beat the jolly old man to the Opening Room. One rather impatient elf was even tempted to open the sack without him, but just as he approached the chair, Kris (Kringle) opened the door behind him sending him 4 feet up in the air in surprise.

"Now then, Marco, you know better than that. I was just finishing some of Mrs. Claus' French Hot Chocolate when the bell rang. I know you're impatient to get back to work, but 7 extra seconds isn't going to mess things up too much," Santa said to the impatient young man. Then, he sat down and got to work. This time he made it through almost half the bag before coming across two very strange looking letters. The first looked as though someone had glued two pieces of regular paper together to make the envelope. The handwriting was very stiff and disjointed as though a child had been allowed to address it. Santa smiled expecting to read one of his very young fan's letters, but at the very first sentence, the line between his eyebrows rose in surprise.

_Dear Santaman,_

_I never heard about you until Medium Fella asked if he was crazy for sending you a letter, but I figured he's not crazy so it's okay that I told him no. And then he told me about you. I guess this time of year is all about you and some other guy, but Alec didn't seem to know too much about the other guy. Still he knows more about both of you than I do- Manticore didn't exactly make a point of teaching the transhumans much about celebrations or holidays or anything nice. The people across the street putting lights on the outside of their house and some other people bringing a big dead tree into their house and a bunch of people walking up and down the street singing last night- I guess that's all about you too, huh? I thought they were pretty whack, but maybe not. _

_Maybe I should ask Max some about you- she always knows about the outside stuff that I don't get. You probably already know about her. She's pretty important, and she's pretty smart. It's just when it comes to knowing her own heart, and the people around her sometimes, that she isn't as smart as she thinks she is. She's still brilliant- it's just that she's scared. She's not like me. She spent a lot of time by herself. She had to hide herself from everybody around her- even worse than me 'cause she had to hide the inside her and let everybody look at the outside her. I have to hide the outside me but I've never had to hide the inside me. It made it hard for her to trust other people; even worse it made her think something was wrong with her inside so she doesn't trust herself either. Maybe that's her problem- maybe if she trusted herself she wouldn't have to listen to an Ordinary (even though I like Logan… mostly) to know what she should do. She would know that she's strong enough to make her own decisions, to open herself to the people who care about her and they'll accept her, to lead all of us in the way that us gens need to go. 'Cause she's the only one who can- she let us all out; she's the only one who can put us together and get us to where we should be. And I think she's starting to get that 'cause she's starting to get all stressed out and she's being meaner to the only other person who can really help her. _

_But I'm not supposed to be talking about all that 'cause Alec said that you grant wishes and I heard this story when I just got out of Manticore about getting wishes (I was listening to a mom and her kid through a window), so I know that you always get three and have to be really, really careful with them so that they will work out right 'cause if you accidentally say that you wish for something then you lose one of your wishes and you maybe even hafta use another wish to fix whatever your first wish was. So I guess I need to say what I want._

_First, I want Max to be happy. But it's more than that because the only way for her to be happy is for her to be the real her and not be all confused on the inside. She has all her tricks and treats on the outside right now, but she doesn't know that her inside is more beautiful than her outside. She needs someone to help her see herself and she needs to know her family is safe from the upstairs people. And you have to take the virus bitch down so that her and Logan can get busy 'cause she needs to know that's not what is keeping her from being with him._

_Second, I want Alec to be happy, too. And that's more than just that, too. 'Cause for him to be happy, he needs to know that he's good and that people trust him and that it's okay for him to trust him too because he's going to do good things. People need to treat him nice and he needs to be nice to himself. _

_And I think the most important thing to make both of them happy is that they need to find out that they love each other. 'Cause right now Max is telling herself that she loves Logan 'cause she's scared to be a transgenic. She thinks that transgenics are bad because we're not real… no, that's not exactly it. We're made instead of really born and we were made by bad people instead of by good people and they made us do bad things. Except, it wasn't supposed to be like that- if Father had been there he would have helped us. Maybe that should be my third wish- to bring Father back to us. Except then he would be our leader instead of Max and Alec, and I think they are the best leaders for us because they are part of us. Part of our family. I think maybe it's 'cause she lived with all the whacked upstairs people all those years because if she really thought about it, being a gen is dope 'cause you can do all sorts of stuff that outside people can't. But all the outside people don't want us knowing that we're good 'cause then they would feel like they're not as strong or fast or smart as us. Which they're not, but they're still good, too. So, Max is all confused about herself and how good she is and she tries to hide parts of herself even from her and part of what she's hiding is that she and Alec match 'cause they're made of some of the same stuff and have done some of the same stuff and they understand each other. In fact, I think the only person who can help Little Fella be happy with all of what she is, is Alec. But I'm scared that she's going to have to be happy with herself first so that she can accept that they're the same. And Alec has to start liking himself to be able to see that he's the same as her 'cause right now he acts all happy and like he wants to be with all the girls but he really thinks that he's being bad and that he's not as good as Little Fella and that hurts him. But I don't know if he can start liking himself until she helps him see how good he is. And I don't know how to help either of them 'cause they need to be together so that they can be happy but they have to be happy with themselves so that they can allow themselves to be together. And when I think about all of it, it hurts my head and I start getting all confused, too. So I think maybe you're the only one who can help them. So, please, please, please with mac 'n' cheese with little hot dogs and gravy on top help them, okay?_

_For my third wish, I'd like lots and lots and lots of hamhocks. Big, juicy, yummy hamhocks just like the ones Alec got me for trying to kill me. Only I don't want anyone to try to kill me first, okay? Thanks._

_Bye,_

_Joshua_

For a long moment, Santa sat looking at and rereading this new letter. Then, with a big smile on his face, he began to laugh- a great big bowl-full-of-jelly laugh. "Well, it looks as though we have a new friend," he said as he looked around and wiped his eyes. "Now, I've heard _of_ these transgenics before, but I've never actually heard _from_ one- we may have to start making more toys for them as well 'cause this sounds like a very nice young man, even if he does have a little too much canine in his cocktail (the elves looked at him appreciatively- they would never tire of how he could automatically know things about people as soon as he received one of their letters). And, it sounds as though this Max and Alec are very important to a lot of people. I wonder if we'll be getting any letters from them." They all hoped so because that would make it much easier for Santa to decide what the best way of helping them would be.

"Santa, you still have more letters. Maybe their letters are still in there," one elf named Betsy suggested.

"Ah, you may be right my little friend," replied Santa as he sat back to open the next rather unusual-looking letter. This one looked as though someone had kicked and crumpled it before deciding to send it. On one corner it looked as though it may even have been set on fire.

_Santa,_

_I ain't exactly known for being the sweet type. I ain't no princess or nothin'. But I am good, or at least pretty much. And I think the whole there-ain't-no-Santa-for-transgenics deal is jacked, so I'm writing. 'Cause I figure I got as much right to free presents as anyone else. And right now I'm needing some supplies because mine are almost out and I'm stuck in this rat-infested, sewer-backed-up, overcrowded, undersupplied stinkhole where I'm being forced to help everybody else, transgenics and transhumans alike, so I can't get them for myself. _

_See, the thing is I don't really smoke cigars (something about those science guys choosing to design the gens like me without the ability to inhale too deeply so that sand couldn't clog up our lungs during sandstorms- on the plus side we don't have to breathe as often as other gens either), but I'm absolutely addicted to having one in my mouth. Don't tell anyone but it's kind of like a security blanket for all the lizard gens. And between you and me, there are plenty of reasons for us to need to feel some security right now, being stuck in Terminal City's chainlink prison like a few of us are. So, the problem is that even without actually smoking them, cigars don't last forever. So I'm down to my last two and that's only going to last another month and a half, and then I don't know what I'm going to do. I know I should probably go to Princess or Ice Queen and ask them to pick some up for me the next time they're out and about and all free-like, but I'd rather eat nails sharp-end first and then jump up and down and have them all stick into my insides than admit to either of them that I need their help. _

_So, that's why when Joshua told me about writing to you I figured I'd give this a try. 'Cause it can't hurt, right? And I figure that, seeing as how you never brought any of us nothin' while we were growing up in MantiHell, maybe you could see your way to bringing me this now. And, if you really need me to repay the favor, even though I heard just bein' good or nice or whatever was enough for you (although I don't know just how well I qualify for either of those), then how about this? If we ever meet up, I won't treat you like normal Ordinaries, alright? Well, actually, I figure you probably aren't like regular Ordinaries as it is what with you flyin' all over the world in one night- are you one of us maybe? Well, if you are one of us, then I guess I can't treat you like an Ordinary anyway, so how about this- if you ever get in a jam, I'll back you up. If I'm not already busy with somethin' else, like watchin' Princess and Ice Queen pussy-footin' around each other, actin' like they're not totally hooked on each other, like they ain't each other's shiznits, or like she's still in love with that worse-than-the-normal Ordinary and he's still wantin' to jump in every girl's pants around. Man, I swear that is getting seriously old. If they don't figure things out soon, I'm going to be tempted to bash their pretty little- oh, sorry, I forgot about the whole being-nice deal. Maybe that's what I should ask for- for you to make them open up their eyes and see what they really want- each other. No, on second thought, I'd rather just have the cigars._

_Mole_

It took Santa a second to get over the precociousness of this letter, but after he did, he turned to his helpers. "Well, friends, it sounds like this year is going to be a very interesting one. I can sure say one thing for these transgenics- they write interesting letters. And I think we should all be very glad that they're on our side." All the elves nodded in bemused agreement.


	4. Envious and Entitled

Title: Dear Santa

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I do. I so totally do. Which means that Alec will, of course, be waiting for me in my stocking Christmas morning. Bring on the Christmas cheer :)

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

Rating: K+, just in case

Synopsis: 7-(short)parter. Snow Day in Las Vegas, NV put me in the mood. It's Christmas time, and several people are writing their letters to Santa. A lot of those letters seem to have a recurring theme. Find out what it is and whether or not Santa will respond. I will update one chapter a day and finish on Christmas Day- It's a Merry Christmas present to my readers.

A/N: Part 4 is up. Yay! This was also only going to be one letter, but I read through my reviews right before posting and found that Angelofdarkness78 had another fun idea that totally fit in with the mood of the letter I'd already written, so I'm going to use that in here too- thanks again :) Hope you all enjoy :)

* * *

The next day had all the inhabitants of the North Pole wondering what they would find in the arriving letters. They all hoped to hear more about the transgenics, most especially Alec and Max who were becoming some of the most talked about, hypothesized about, and popular individuals that had caught their interest in quite some time. It seemed to be the general consensus that Alec and Max must be really nice people who just happened to be not-all-people. After all, if they weren't nice then they wouldn't have people who also seemed nice writing about them and wanting them to be happy. The unspoken wish was that today would be the day that Max and Alec's letters arrived. In this hope, they would be more than slightly disappointed.

When the Mail Call Bell rang, all of the elves dashed to the Opening Room. Santa was at least as excited and expectant as the others, so with his travel-the-world-in-a-single-night (possibly transgenic?) speed, he was able to beat them there. For fun, he sat in his giant chair and pretended that he'd been there waiting for quite a while when they arrived. Then with a shinier-than-normal twinkle in his eye, he turned to the task of opening the mail in the larger-than-normal burlap sack. Over 45 minutes later, they had yet to get a single letter from any of the transgenics' friends or the transgenics themselves, and the mood was getting a tiny bit more somber. It was still extremely cheerful and energetic- this is the North Pole after all, but it wasn't quite as excited as it had been. Still, most of them maintained their normal smiles and hyperactive Polo was still bouncing all around the room. As was their usual, the elves just allowed Polo's energy to liven them up- elves don't get upset when children act like children, and they don't get upset because one of them is more excitable than the average elf. Besides the elves were able to redirect their focus quickly- they cared very much about all the children they provided toys for- even if they were coming to the sad conclusion that they weren't going to hear from the people they had especially wanted to, they were happy to hear from all the other boys and girls. Still, they couldn't help but wish that they'd at least gotten one letter from the people they were coming to consider their new friends. That is why when they saw the postmark stating that the next two letters were from Seattle, even though one of the handwritings somehow managed to seem malicious and the other seemed a little too neurotically precise, the excitement level in the room immediately escalated. Unfortunately, they were not in for the pleasure they were hoping for.

_Attention Mr. Inappropriately-Sized-Man-in-the-Juvenile-Red-Suit,_

_As a representative of the United States government, I am writing to request your aid in helping your country (assuming, of course, that you are American since otherwise you would be trespassing on American soil every year) pursue transgenic scum. As they are not human beings, I believe that your reported generosity does not and cannot be expected to extend to them. And as I and my group are the most important human beings throughout history, I can only rightfully anticipate that you will help us in our most ultimately-beneficial goals. We are attempting to eradicate the world of the threat that these unnatural things pose, most especially 452 and her breeding partner 494. If they are permitted to continue, they may disrupt plans that have been in place for centuries. If, however, you were to find a way to help us, we would make it worth your while. I have been authorized to make you a membership offer- you deliver 452 and 494 to us on a silver platter and reunite me with my son, and we will permit you to participate in our test in order to determine if you would be an appropriate member of our collective. If you are worthy, then we will allow you (and worthy parts of your group) to join with us when we take over the world. You will enjoy heretofore unknown power, position, and prestige as you join with the leaders of the world today and forever after. Knowing that you most assuredly will agree to these conditions, I must say that after everything I've heard about you I am most definitely looking forward to working with you._

_Fenos'tol,_

_Ames White_

As he read the letter, Santa's face had turned white. Now he looked at his friends and found that all of their mouths had dropped wide open in astonishment (as had his). How was it possible that anyone could possibly misunderstand their mission like this? Without making a single comment, and hoping that the next missive would help to settle his mind, Santa opened the next letter.

_Dear Mr. Claus,_

_As of this date, you have failed to respond to my annual letters in an appropriate manner. As I do so much good in the world every year, I must believe this to be an oversight of your checklist. I have, therefore, sought the advice of my family lawyer, who (after regaining his composure and explaining that he had simply been reading something ridiculously funny prior to my request for aid) suggested that I create a form of contract similar to the one following._

_To Whom It May Concern:_

_I, the undersigned, have been informed of your company's policy regarding the provision of certain desirable materials to individuals who are shown to be participating in worthy endeavors. I am not a man who has a lot of time to waste on pleasantries, so I'll get right to the point. As I am, without a doubt, actively pursuing the most worthy objectives in the world today, I feel it particularly perfunctory to remind you of your duties to ensure a lack of renigging on your part. In addition, I feel the need to assure you that proper consequences will ensue if you, your employees, and/or your company in any or all ways fail to fulfill the responsibilities which you have set before yourself. To that end and in order to facilitate matters, I have enclosed a list of necessary, requisite, anticipated, and expected items that I have been assured will be present and available to me by December 25__th__ A.M. I thank you in advance for your kind (and legally obligatory) attention to this matter._

_Cordially,_

_Logan Cale, a.k.a. Eyes Only_

_(attached list)_

_1. Max- her affections and everlasting loyalties_

_2. Terminal City's closure- as the occupants of this biohazard zone currently occupy far too much of Max's time and energies and have even occasionally been placed before much higher and worthier causes (i.e. Eyes Only missions) it is necessary for all transgenics and transhumans to be physically removed from Max's (and preferably my) physical sphere. She is, after all, so very misguided, the poor dear, that she'll probably never realize that she should do this herself._

_3. Most specifically the removal of one specific sociopathic screw-up transgenic masquerading by the name of Alec McDowell (though how he came up with McDowell is anyone's guess- maybe the first Ordinary he robbed after being freed through the magic of my broadcast or perhaps the first person he ever killed in cold-blood while choosing to work for Manticore- regardless of what confused little Max thinks if he had wanted to leave them he most certainly could have, he is a transgenic with no loyalties or morals after all) from both my and Max's acquaintanceships for the rest of eternity. I don't especially care what you do with him as long as he is no longer permitted to interrupt the smooth flow of Max's participation in Eyes Only missions._

_4. In addition, you will probably have to find a way of specifically permanently removing all of Max's closest familial ties- Original Cindy, Joshua, Sketchy, for example. After all those ties only serve to confuse her. For that matter, you might want to permanently remove Normal, Mole, and Kendra- no point in taking any chances._

_5. That brings up the subject of her first family, if you can really call them that. I already managed to get rid of Zack, no thanks to you, but there are still several of them who may at any point in the future pop up and cause problems- make sure you do something to prevent that._

_6. Oh, I almost forgot- you should probably provide a cure to the virus. For Max's sake. And I suppose I wouldn't mind being able to hook up with her whenever I feel like it. But mostly it's for her- the poor kid is so very desperate to be able to be with me that it would really help her out._

_7. The world's acquiescence to my expectations_

_8. New computer equipment. This must, of course, be the best- fastest, most powerful, highest state-of-the-art- equipment available in the entire world because my work is the most important work being done in the world (why else do you think Max is so happy to take a backseat to it?)_

_9. Better, newer, faster, safer, and stronger Eyes Only materials, sources, equipment, and resources. After all, it's kind of hard to save the world with the crappy supplies that I'm currently working with. I still manage to do it, but since I am helping people out so much it would only make sense for me to get state-of-the-art materials to help me continue._

The list continued on in this vein for quite a few more pages, but by this point, the pulsepoint on the side of Santa's head was throbbing. Betsy was actually staring at it with some fear hoping that it wouldn't burst. All of the elves were looking at him with a little worry- even Polo had stopped in midbounce. None of them remembered seeing him look this ticked- even when the reindeer had eaten all of his aunt's fruitcake and then sat in a new batch of Mrs. Claus' fudge. For a long moment, it seemed as though he wasn't breathing, and they all held their breath with him as his face went through several shades of red. Finally, his chest heaved and his color began returning to normal- the only thing that still seemed off was the look in his eyes. "So, Mr. Cale, you think that you do so much good in the world that you deserve something in return, do you," he said to no one in particular. "Well, I would tend to agree with you. (Several of the elves gulped in fear as they watched his usually twinkling blue eyes almost turn black) You do most definitely deserve to get something back." As he stood abruptly, disregarding the rest of the letters in his sack (after all he was hardly in the right mood to be reading them if the children who had written them wanted anything other than coal in their stockings), he turned and stomped out, hardly even noticing as the elves anxiously skittered out of his way.


	5. All I Want for Christmas

Title: Dear Santa

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I do. I so totally do. Which means that Alec will, of course, be waiting for me in my stocking Christmas morning. Bring on the Christmas cheer :)

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

Rating: K+, just in case

Synopsis: 7-(short)parter. Snow Day in Las Vegas, NV put me in the mood. It's Christmas time, and several people are writing their letters to Santa. A lot of those letters seem to have a recurring theme. Find out what it is and whether or not Santa will respond. I will update one chapter a day and finish on Christmas Day- It's a Merry Christmas present to my readers.

A/N: Part 5 is up. Yay! Man what a busy day- Christmas party, helped my sister and her family move into their new house, and celebrated my niece's birthday. Blame that on the fact that I'm a few minutes behind my deadline- still, hopefully you guys are all asleep and won't even realize I missed it. And I will be getting the next chapter up sometime today. Hope you all enjoy :)

* * *

Santa's bad mood stayed with him the rest of the day and through the next morning, and its effect on the inhabitants of the North Pole was extremely distressing, especially considering the fact that it was only 2 days before Christmas Eve. In fact, it was so depressing that very little work got done, the reindeer went off their feed, and spats started up between several of the elves. In fact, tempers began to flare so much that even the snowmen began to feel the heat (which is very dangerous for them, so they all had to go home early). By the time the Mail Call Bell sounded, almost no one really wanted to go see what had arrived (only a few had hopes that whatever came would alleviate the angst and enliven the situation). But, as is the North Pole custom, they all began trudging their way to the Opening Room.

Upon opening the door, the first thing the disheartened little workers discovered was that Mrs. Claus was standing in the room behind Santa's chair. It had been several decades since Santa had felt the need to call in the big guns for reinforcement- in fact, if memory serves correctly, it was the winter when Dasher and Prancer had made the mistake of teasing Blitzen for coming at the end of the song (you know the one- "You know Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen) right when Blitzen was fasting for his annual trip to the vet. And if anybody knows anything about anything, they know that nobody should ever make fun of a hungry reindeer. So before anybody knew what was happening, hooves were flying and almost half of the toys had been destroyed or damaged. By the time the elves were able to pull the reindeer apart quite a few of them had gotten their own share of black eyes and twisted ears. Things escalated to the point where the reindeer separated into 2 separate groups- those who thought that the reindeer listed first were the most important and those who thought that the song focused on the deer mentioned last (you know the save-the-best-for-last versus eat-dessert-first camps). Nobody was talking to anybody else, and rumors of a strike were going around. Santa was beside himself with worry and stress, and nobody knew what to do until good old Mrs. Claus had invited all of the reindeers' wives to a tea. It was she who helped the womenfolk realize how ridiculous their men were behaving- after all the whole song is actually about Mrs. Comet's son anyway- and after that night of female bonding, the men weren't allowed to sleep inside or eat any warm food until they made up. Ever since that whole episode, Mrs. Claus had come to be known as the best weapon in Santa's social arsenal, and the sight of her was enough to make several more elves hope that things would turn out better today. Slowly, they all found their normal perches around the room and waited for Santa to come in.

When Santa arrived, he came in slowly. It was obvious to everyone that he felt bad about the far-less-than-jovial mood he'd been in all day (after all, it had been absolutely ages since the last time he'd been upset like this- usually he was the last one whose feathers could be ruffled), but he still wasn't sure how to get himself out of his funk. He looked at his wife, who smiled a reassuring smile and even winked at him, and the tips of his mouth curled upwards. He sat down and bent towards his bag, acting almost as though he were afraid it would bite him. As he opened his first letter from a sweet little girl asking for a cupcake baking set, a collective sigh of relief sounded throughout the room. The second letter was from a boy asking for a new bone for his dog and the third was another little boy asking that Santa allow him to return his baby sister in favor of a parakeet. For a second, the elves were wary that this would damage their boss' returning good mood, but their worry was unwarranted for this third letter actually brought back some of the humorous twinkle to his eyes. The return of his natural good mood continued through 98 percent of the bag until he finally came across a letter return-addressed from Seattle. Immediately all eyes flew to Mrs. Claus as though she could stave off the calamity they all felt was imminent. Slowly, so very slowly, Santa opened up the letter and began to read.

_Dear Santa,_

_I'm not really sure how all of this works. It's not like I ever heard of you until I received my Cultural Holidays and Traditions training and it's not like our trainers really emphasized the warm & fuzzy side to anything they drilled into us. So I guess I'm not really sure what I'm expecting- probably nothing. Which I'd be fine with- hey, I'm the guy who's always alright, right? Only I have this buddy- Sketchy- you probably already know about him 'cause he told me that he writes one of these to you every year. I don't know- he says it works. But maybe I should take the fact that he's constantly getting himself into jams that he needs help getting out of as a clue to how reliable his opinion of reality is. Oh well- either way I figure this can't hurt- either you're real or you're not. And if you are real, either you'll help me or you won't. I figure I'm probably ahead going to you for this rather than going to the big G. I'm still not even sure He exists, though I've seen some things that make it pretty hard to not believe. Only if He is up there somewhere I'm not too sure what His stand is on me- I'm not exactly one of His natural creations, you know? Plus, I'm a little more comfortable writing this rather than trying the whole praying thing- I'm not really sure how that all works either- if you've noticed me in the past you've probably already figured that out by how badly I did it the two times I've tried. But everything always works out somehow- usually as a result of the actions of a certain spitfire I know. _

_Which brings me to the point of this letter- Max…. Oh, sorry, I guess I need to explain more than just her name. Only, to me, everything can be summed up by her name. All the experiences of a lifetime, my lifetime, seem tied up in her- all the hurt and the pain and the disappointment and the feeling that life isn't fair, but all the pleasure and the happiness and the hope and the freedom and the growing and all of the good stuff too. She is the whole reason that Alec McDowell even exists. See, before her, I used to try to rebel against Manticore- not exactly the nicest people you might have come across- but I didn't know how. So I ran scams with other people who were trying to pretend that they didn't actually have to live, eat, and breathe Manticore, and I tried to pretend that it didn't matter even while I was getting commendations for what a good little soldier I was. But I wasn't really living- I was a puppet, a machine that others used however they saw fit. My mini-revolution wouldn't have ever really amounted to anything. _I_ wouldn't have ever amounted to anything- if it hadn't been for her._

_See, she was stuck in that place, too. But she and her little rugrat brothers and sisters decided to get out of there- they knew that it was a bad place to be, saw an opportunity to find something better, and took it. I wish the rest of us had been that smart, or lucky, depending on how you look at it. I wish we could have escaped with them. I wish I had been in her unit back then- only, I don't know if I would have been able to handle being so close to her and then being separated. Maybe that's what drove my brother to do what he did- losing her broke him. I could understand that. After all, even when my life was on the line, I couldn't stand the thought of living without her. Even knowing that she probably hated me after I let her infect Logan, I found myself searching for her. Even knowing that if I didn't kill her I would die, I couldn't do it. I knew that a world that didn't have her in it wasn't a world I was interested in staying in. And the idea that it would be my fault that the world lost her- even now it sickens me that I even considered the possibility. _

_She changed my life just by giving me a name, and suddenly I became a real person with a real future. Talk about scary. I had only considered the option of making choices once before and it hadn't exactly turned out all roses and rainbows- being a machine freed me up from ever having to do that again. And then she freed me. All of us. I don't think she really knew what she was doing- maybe she still doesn't. But she changed all of our worlds. _

_When it came time for me to realize that I needed direction in my life and I needed help figuring out what it would be, I went back to her. I didn't even think about it. Have you ever heard of the homing instinct in cats? Well, it turns out that it's totally genetic, and since I have a good portion of feline in me, I guess it just makes sense that I have a healthy dose of that, too. I think Manticore bred that into us on purpose so that soldiers would be able to find their base no matter where they were or what had gone down. The reason I bring it up is that I think that somewhere along the way Max became my home. I think that's why I wound up on her doorstep, or to be more precise on her "job," that night and then again at her actually somewhat legit job the next day. I needed to be close to her. I knew that I could learn what I needed from her so that I could survive (even though it wasn't just about surviving when it came to me needing to be around her). What I didn't realize was that she would teach me so much more than that- about helping other people, about morals, about making choices in my life, about deciding who I want to be and becoming that person. I don't know if she realized that she also taught me that I could choose who I want to be with- something tells me that if she knew who I would choose, without it even being a conscious choice, that she wouldn't have let me in on that little secret. Because I choose her- no matter how unrealistic or hard or improbable it is, I have fallen completely and totally in love with her. I never even knew that emotions could be as strong as what I feel for her. It's like she's marked me without my noticing it (although the fact that she hasn't actually done so makes it so that I can try to pretend that I'm not completely smitten and then my own sense of self-preservation makes me go home with a bunch of different girls on regular intervals). And it's wonderful and terrible and freeing and the scariest experience of my life. I've never been more protective of another person before, because the idea that she might get hurt absolutely terrifies me. _

_And that brings me to what I'm actually asking for. I know you're probably going to guess that I'm going to wish for Max, my Maxie, to fall in love with me just like I've fallen for her, but I'm not. I don't know if I want her loving someone like me- a screw-up in the civilian world, an emotionally-stunted guy with a really amoral past. I want her to love someone who she can respect and look up to and get along with for prolonged periods of time (though not all the time because I think she'd just get bored). I want her to fall in love with someone who will love her with every atom in their body and who will do everything in their power and then some to protect her and support her and have her back whenever she needs them. I want her to be with someone who doesn't send her on dangerous missions just so that they can feel better about themselves. Don't get me wrong- I think she craves the exhilaration of a completed mission and she loves helping people and knowing that she's done something good, but considering the world around her and how things are starting to turn against us transgenics, something tells me that she's going to be getting plenty of adrenaline rushes in the near to distant future without having her not-like-that boyfriend create artificial reasons to put her in danger. Not to mention the fact that she deserves to have someone who will love her for who she is, all the human parts and all the parts that aren't. She has a wealth of life experiences and opinions and insights and I want her to have someone who will appreciate all of the pros she brings with her. And someone who will be pissed at her and fight with her and disagree with her and make her temper flare and know just how to punch all the wrong buttons to bring her fire to the surface sometimes because of all of her cons. She deserves to have someone who sees the real her, not just the her they want to see. Because she's wonderful- not just the parts that are easy on the eyes or that make her want to help people but all of her. And she deserves someone who understands that and helps her to understand it too. So, that is my Christmas wish- that you find (or create) someone who is worthy of the most wonderful woman in my life, and in my opinion in the world._

_Thanks,_

_Alec_

As Santa looked up from the letter, his eyes seemed to be filling with tears, but the smile playing across his face seemed to show appreciation for the heart that the writer had just shared with him. He looked at all of his friends and smiled- all the tension from yesterday was gone, but when he turned to his wife, everyone knew that his eyes were only for her. He stood up and took her hand with a smile that only people who truly love each other can have, and together they left the room without another word, leaving the rest of the group to sit silently as they pondered what they had just heard.


	6. Perfect Match

Title: Dear Santa

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I do. I so totally do. Which means that Alec will, of course, be waiting for me in my stocking Christmas morning. Bring on the Christmas cheer :)

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

Rating: K+, just in case

Synopsis: **8**-(short)parter. Snow Day in Las Vegas, NV put me in the mood. It's Christmas time, and several people are writing their letters to Santa. A lot of those letters seem to have a recurring theme. Find out what it is and whether or not Santa will respond. I will update one chapter a day and finish on Christmas Day- It's a Merry Christmas present to my readers.

A/N: Part 5 is up. Yay!

Dear Santa,

Please help my readers to understand that 25-18=7, so when I planned this fic out, I planned 7 chapters instead of the 8th one that is necessary for me to be able to put one out on Christmas Day. I planned to put Max's out on Christmas Eve and Santa's response on Christmas Day. And since I realized, with quite some horror, that I actually needed 8 chapters instead of 7 I've been driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to get that last one put in. I considered dividing the Christmas Day chapter in 2 or adding a Christmas Eve one in (even considered making Santa sick so that Max and Alec had to run his job for him), but neither of those worked for me because I wanted to have all of the chapters except for the last one be letters to Santa. Then, dear, dear angelofdarkness78 made a suggestion that I've pondered and then decided to put in as the central part of the 7th chapter. I want to thank all of my wonderful reviewers (Bella1992, Jabberwocky1, Chica De Los Ojos Café, angelofdarkness78, Nehasupnfan, Midnight Parallax, Anna-xx-Banana, and ackles-shackles) for their kindnesses (please don't let them hate me now), and especially angelofdarkness78 for saving my hide. And if this chapter doesn't quite work for them, Santa, please help them to remember 1) I never intended to write 8 chapters (oops), 2) this chapter probably would have gone before Logan's chapter (if I were capable of counting correctly and had therefore planned correctly), 3) I never claimed to be perfect (only Malec-obsessed), and 4) it's angelofdarkness78's fault. (JK) Hope they do enjoy, though.

Sincerely,

Dark Roswellian Angel (Michelle)

* * *

The next day everyone was in a much better mood. In fact, some of them were in such better moods that they found themselves staring off dreamily as thoughts of sugar plums, candy canes, and their own versions of Alec played through their heads. Mmmm…. Still, they were much more productive and everyone was getting along with everyone else- a sort of Yuletide-meets-Valentine's camaraderie helped them not only to catch up to their schedule but surpass it. Which meant that several of them were noticeably absent for at least 10 minutes after lunch, and when they came back, several of the male elves had heart-shaped lipstick on their cheeks, and several of the females couldn't seem to stop smiling.

This all combined to make them very confused when the Mail Call Bell rang and they ran to the Opening Room to find Mrs. Claus waiting for them. They had thought that everything was okay now, so why was she there? Their worries were laid to rest when she picked up a tray of cookies and began sharing them while saying, "I just had to see if we have anymore letters from those dear little transgenics down in Seattle. I must say this whole thing is far surpassing even the best episodes of 'Moonlight' (which since the North Pole is the place where all the best dreams come true hasn't been nor ever will be canceled on her TV), and I wanted to be here to see if anything comes next. I'm rooting for Alec, what about you?" she confided with a friendly smile.

When the door opened to show her husband coming in, her smile turned up several notches and he beamed back at her before sitting in his great chair. Then, he looked at all the other room occupants and smiled, "Well, we might as well get started, wouldn't you say?" They all nodded happily as they crunched on Mrs. Claus' chocolate chip, caramel, coconut pecan squares. (Absolutely delicious- you'll have to remind her to get you the recipe sometime)

Santa leaned down and began the happy task of opening the world's wishes. It took quite a while before he received his first letter from somewhere just outside Seattle. With just the tiniest bit of unease in his eyes (left over from 2 days ago) he opened it and began to read.

_Dear Santa,_

_I write this as a plea for help. For hundreds of years, my group has been trying to fight back the oppression promised by a group that we originally belonged to until we realized that they were wrong to want to destroy so many lives. Let me start over- for centuries there has been a selective breeding cult whose goal it has been to prepare for the destruction of the majority of the world's population at which point in time they would become the rulers of the remaining humans. They have developed sick rituals and traditions and even tests to determine who is worthy of being a part of their aristocracy. Hundreds of years ago, a small faction began to realize that it is wrong to look forward to the pain and suffering of any living being and instead decided that they wanted to find a way to save the world. To this end, many of our scientists have been attempting to find a cure to the plague that will soon attack us all. One man, a great man had two sons, though if he had not been living according to the collective's rules he may have had four, and he loved them both. He knew that one would not survive the test and, because he loved him so much, he decided that the group must be wrong. In the end, he had to leave the group because they accused him of heresy and would have killed both of his sons, his wife, and him otherwise. He was the greatest mind of the 20__th__ century (and many other centuries as well) and so was able to find a way to get into a governmental unit that was experimenting with genetics. Under the guise of head scientist, he was able to perform some of his own tests during which he found the cure and implanted it into two of the children involved in the government's program. Soon after this, and before letting anyone know which of the children he had changed, he was discovered by the collective and had to escape. Until just a few months ago, those of us who knew what he had done had been searching for those children. One of them escaped the government's program approximately ten years ago, and the other one's genes did not show any alterations until just after the other was recaptured. At the time I had managed my way to the top of the program so that I could keep an eye out for the two children. By the time I had realized who they were, it was too late. The program was destroyed and I was shot in an attempt to save the girl's life. I was able to tell her to try to find my husband, but I passed out before I was able to tell her why. To this day, I have been unable to find her again, and as I am currently being hunted myself, I don't know if she made it out alright or not. I can only hope that the other one, whom by some game of fate I had partnered her with, is also still alive. Please, what I am asking, Santa, is that you help me find them so that I can offer them the protection that my group is capable of. We want them to be safe, not only for us but for the world, though I admit to also hoping that after all is said and done my family- my dear husband and our two boys- can be reunited and that we will be able to put down old grudges and misunderstandings so that we can be happy together again._

_Sincerely,_

_Renfro_

Santa looked around at his listeners. "Huh, well that certainly does explain some things, doesn't it," he said and the others nodded their agreement. It wasn't exactly what they had been hoping for, but the bag wasn't empty yet. Santa went back to work opening letters.

Almost half an hour later, Santa came across a second letter with a Seattle postmark on it, though this one had no return address.

_Dear Santa (or should I say X0-HoHoHo since you were the original product of the original genetics lab all those centuries ago- yes I know who you are),_

_I write this as a letter of request, and before you say that all of your letters are letters of request, I believe that this particular letter is a bit different from the others. I doubt you often get letters from dead guys- I'm guessing that's why you didn't send me my request last year (or at least the traditional coal that I usually get), because you thought I was dead. Only I'm not, so first I would appreciate it if you would put me back on your list. Especially since I've been doing some very good things lately- for the good of the whole world as a matter of fact, perhaps even more so than the program that I was involved in for over 20 years. See, now I'm fighting to save the world from this selective breeding cult- I don't know if you've ever heard of it. I'm not even sure what the name of it is. I'm sure Eyes Only could tell you _(Santa and everyone shuddered and Santa's eyes narrowed at the letter until he read the next line) _only I'm not exactly on the best of terms with him right now. Ever since I told him that he's a putz who could never, ever, EVER be worthy of X5-452 (you may know her better as Max), I seem to have found myself on his blacklist. Which I can totally live with. What I can't seem to live with is being out of the action- no resources and no way to help my kids. See, there's this big bad something coming and I know that when it hits, they're going to be at the center of the action (that's what we trained them to do) and I have to do what I can to help them. Especially Max. I know I shouldn't play favorites, but I can't help it when it comes to her. She is the one who can save us all, but someone has to be there to save her. I know that, if they're still together, X5-494 (I heard she named him 'Alec') would try, would probably die to help her- after all they were matched up because they were perfect for each other (as opposed to the dipstick Ordinary with the God complex she has stubbornly grabbed on to and won't let go of because she's scared of what being with X5-494 would be like and she can't stand the thought that Manticore might have actually had it right when they paired the two of them up)- but if they just knew what they're up against maybe that wouldn't be necessary. And so that's what I'm asking for- the resources to find out what they're up against and to be able to prepare them for it. I'm going to continue trying to help them no matter what you do. After all, that's why I was run off the road in the first place by one of the snake-worshiping breeding cult loonies, Ames White (ever heard of him?) _(Santa's eyebrows rose in surprise and a bit of admiration- anyone who could tick White off that much was someone Santa was willing to give some respect to)_- because I was trying to find out the truth. But I really would appreciate any help you could give me._

_Thanks,_

_Lydecker_

Santa sat for a moment pondering the words of this particular letter. The information in it was actually enough for him to look up at his Naughty/Nice list and transfer Lydecker's name from one column to the next. Anyone willing to put themselves at this much risk to help Max and Alec automatically earned bonus points from him, and the fact that Lydecker was finally pursuing a cause that would help people instead of instilling fear in transgenics made him much more likeable in all the rooms' occupants' eyes. But after that, Santa got back to work.

After about 20 more minutes, he came across a very strange letter- the address had been made out of letters cut out of magazines (as had the letter inside) and there was no return address. Even stranger, there was no postmark so it wasn't even possible to determine which city, state, or country it had come from. Santa's first concern was how to find the writer in order to deliver whatever they were requesting, if he decided they should receive it. He began to read.

_Dear Santa,_

_I don't know if you know me. Heaven knows I've spent the majority of my life on the Naughty list if you do. And seeing as how I'm over 100 now, that's a very long time. However, people in my "family" tend to live for a very long time. But I'm not writing to you in order to give you my life's history. I'm writing about a very special pair of people- a couple who will one day work miracles for this world, who will one day save millions, probably billions, of lives. I'm writing about two people who I was privileged to help create, though we share none of the same genes. I'm asking you to help my special little one and her other half. You see, I was once a part of a program that created special people. Oh, I knew that the goal of the people who thought they were running the program was to create supersoldiers so that they could send in ten soldiers instead of sending in a hundred and lose none of them, but that was never my goal. My goal was to save the world, to save my sons, to save my family. And so I created the genes for one special little child, but because I didn't want her to be lonely, I created a second child who would be her defender, her confidante, her best friend, her knight in shining armor. I put all those things into him that I put into her that made it so that they could, and would, save the world together, and I made sure to put all those little things into them that would make them fit together so perfectly, complement each other so well, that they would complete each other (after they were done fighting it and probably each other- because a little spunk is needed in people who wouldn't be accepted by the world around them and yet were expected to save it). And now I'm writing to you to ask for your help. I recently discovered that the place that I was forced to leave them has been destroyed, and I am terrified that they may have been destroyed with it. Or perhaps even worse that they may have been separated by the destruction, or even before it. So, what I am asking is that you guide them- make them safe, make them healthy, make them whole in the only way that is possible- by bringing them together. Please, help prepare them for the world and give them each other so that they will be strong enough to do what is asked of them. For myself, I ask nothing, except that perhaps one day I might be reunited with the only woman who has ever owned my heart (regardless of how badly I have treated her) and our sons. Please, watch over them all._

_Thank you,_

_Sandeman_

Santa looked up from the letter with a concerned look in his eye. "If these letters are true, then our friends down in Seattle are not the only ones who must be prepared. We have just one more correspondence that we must wait for before we can know what the correct course of action is, though it seems more and more sure with each letter we get. After that, we will do what is needed." He looked around at the group surrounding him, glad to know that he had their loyalty and that they were all capable of what they may be required to do- he had trained them all well, and not just in the toy-making abilities for which they were famous. As they stood before him, straight and proud, he smiled, "We have work to do." With that, he stood and they all followed him out the door.


	7. All I Want for Christmas is You

Title: Dear Santa

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I do. I so totally do. Which means that Alec will, of course, be waiting for me in my stocking Christmas morning. Bring on the Christmas cheer :)

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

Rating: K+, just in case

Synopsis: **8**-(short)parter. Snow Day in Las Vegas, NV put me in the mood. It's Christmas time, and several people are writing their letters to Santa. A lot of those letters seem to have a recurring theme. Find out what it is and whether or not Santa will respond. I will update one chapter a day and finish on Christmas Day- It's a Merry Christmas present to my readers.

A/N: Part 7 is up. Yay! This may be just a touch late- last minute shopping, wrapping presents, spending Christmas Eve with family and all. I'm so excited- I'm working on the last 2 chapters, and I'm still thoroughly enjoying writing this fic. Maybe I should consider doing a New Year's Eve one, too- holiday fics are fun.

* * *

It was Christmas Eve, and beyond the normal chaos and stress, two thoughts were playing through everyone's minds. After yesterday's letters, they were all wondering if and when they may be asked to use the training Santa had drilled into them when they first joined his unit. None of them were too worried about that, though- they were well prepared and felt fully ready to join in the fight if needed. So you might say that thought was rather secondary to the thought that was really plaguing their minds- today was the last day they could receive letters for this year's season. What if she didn't write???

The day felt like it was dragging on. They tried, and for the most part succeeded, in focusing on the hustle and bustle of the day's schedule. They finished all the toys and loaded them into the sleigh. They knew Mrs. Claus was filling Santa with all the good substantial foods that would get him through the night as well as all the sugary foods that would keep him on his toes. The reindeer were well-fed, well-rested, and harnessed with their spitshined bells flashing on either side. Every inch of the sleigh and connectors was gone over with a fine-tooth comb- there was no room for errors. Everything was proceeding just as it should.

When the Mail Call Bell rang out it's traditional Christmas Eve carol, all of the elves dropped the last minute chores they were finishing and trooped to the Opening Room full of some mixture of dread and anticipation. None of them were surprised today to see Mrs. Claus already comfortably standing beside Santa's chair, though they were surprised that Santa was already there. He must be really hoping to hear from her if he was waiting in here instead of getting ready. No one said a word as Santa bent to the work of opening the letters in the very underfilled sack (after all, very few people would send letters this late in the season. It's like a craft store- really busy at the beginning of the season, but by the time the big day actually arrives, it's pretty empty because everything that could be crafted probably already has been). By the time he'd read the tenth letter, they were all beginning to despair of hearing from her. There were only two letters left- what were the chances hers would be one of them? Pretty good, as it turned out. With a smile and a bit of flair, Santa pulled out the letter they'd all been waiting for and began to read.

_Dear Santa,_

_Sorry I'm writing this so late. I don't guess I'm gonna be earning any brownie points for putting this off for so long. Only, I wasn't really sure I was gonna write this thing in the first place. See, I figure you're kind of like this season- all stuck on the idea of hope. Hope that things will work out. Hope that you'll get what you want. Hope that all your loved ones will be happy. Hope that this world and everyone in it can be saved. Hope that all your dreams will come true. And in my experience, hope is just a trick people trip behind because they can't deal with the real. And that's why I wasn't going to write to you- because I don't want to get my hopes up and then have them crash down around my head. I've lost enough already in this short, strange little life of mine. I don't want to lose the few dreams I've still got. But as I got to thinking about it, I realized that maybe hope is more than that. Maybe hope is a way of looking at life and seeing the better parts of it, the parts that make it so that you can be happy even when you don't have everything you might want. And I like that. I'd like to be happy. And I'd like if everybody I care about could be happy, too. So I figured maybe I should write to you._

_I guess I should admit that part of what convinced me that I should write is the fact that everyone else around here seems to be writing to you- OC, Sketchy, Joshua, even Logan and Normal. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that I caught them writing to who may just be a figment of some hopeful person's imagination- for the most part they've had somewhat sheltered lives, even Joshua is still pretty much an innocent. What did surprise me was when I was walking over to him and I saw him slide a piece of paper away from me so that I couldn't see what he was doing- well, go figure, I had to know so I distracted him and was able to get it away from him just long enough to see that it was a letter addressed to you. I hadn't even thought it possible that he could still believe in something or someone like you. I mean, he's had it just as tough as me, maybe worse in some ways. It made me start thinking. After all, if he's still able to believe in a better future, then maybe it is possible._

_So I figured I'd write to you, even though I'm not entirely sure what I want to ask for. Happiness. Safety. Hope maybe. I'd like it if everyone I care about and all the people I feel responsible for because it's my fault they're out there in this cold, harsh world all alone instead of at least bunked in with their units could be happy. I'd like it if they could be back together again and free from Manticore and the people who would hurt them. I'd like to know that my friends are safe and that good things are happening to them. Love. I'd definitely like them all to find love. Well, maybe not. After all, in my experience love can have this really sick habit of hurting the people who open up to it. Maybe if it was possible to have it and not hurt, maybe then it would be a good thing. Yeah, I think even I'd like to have it then . Except…. there's something that keeps me from that possibility, and I guess we're supposed to ask for something for ourselves in these letters, so what I'd really like… what I sometimes even let myself hope for… it'll probably sound strange, but… I'd really like to stop being afraid._

_I'm so tired of being scared, and I feel like I'm scared of everything- yeah, strong, proud, soldier me is afraid of everything. I'm scared that one day I won't be strong enough and the guys in the black helicopters will capture me. I'm scared that one day I won't be able to protect the people I care about. I'm scared that when I finally find what's left of my family, they won't accept me. I'm scared that one day all my secrets will be blown out there for everyone to see and the people I care about will freak out and look at me just like OC did for some of the longest moments of my life in Logan's kitchen. I'm scared that one day I'll wake up and find out that I never really made it out of Manticore- that I'm still there and they're still forcing me to fight and they're still testing me. I'm afraid that all of this running and hiding to stay free isn't worth anything because I've never really lived anyway. I think maybe that's what I'm most afraid of. Because if I haven't really lived, then what's the point anyway?_

_No, you know what? There's something else I'm even more scared of. I'm scared of living. I'm scared of taking the big chances, opening my heart, letting people in. I'm scared of believing that people can change and that the one person who could own my heart would ever want to. See, somehow during the past year, I've realized that there is only one person in this whole world who I could ever open up to completely and he's the one person I don't know if I could ever do that with, if that makes sense. See, I see something in him that no one else seems to be able to see. I see his heart. I see how the world affects him and how he hides from it, just like me, and I see how much he wants to open himself up to it. Only we're really similar- we're both scared. Maybe it's because of how we grew up- man, those guys really screwed with our heads. Only his head is even more screwed with 'cause o' how I got out and then they punished him for it. I gotta figure there's a special place in Hell all picked out for them, well, if God likes transgenics anyway._

_You know what? Forget about me. I can handle myself- I always have. If I can only wish for one thing, it's for him to be okay. I know that he claims to be alright- that's his thing. But he isn't. He's hurting, and it kills me to see it and not know how to make it better. I want him to be happy and safe and have what he really wants. I know he probably told you that what he really wants is all the chicks that he goes home with every night, but that's the scared him talking. That's the him that he shows to the world so that he can hide the real him in plain sight. That's the him who's cocky and self-assured and so damn gorgeous a girl can barely see straight when he's working her, but it's not the real him. The real him is the one who can steal your breath away. That's the him who can hold you close and tell you that even your worst sins are forgiven, the one who is willing to give up his life because he doesn't want to do the wrong thing and he cares more about others than he does himself, the one who is willing to spend time with you even when you're in a funk because he knows that you need someone with you. That's the him who makes you laugh when you're hurting with all his laughing and his talking and his breathing, and who brings you out of a bad mood by teasing you and then lets you hit him up the backside of the head just to prove that you didn't need his help, even though you both know you did. He's the only person I know who can make you feel special with just a touch or a glance or a word. He is the most special person I know, and he deserves so much more than what he's had. So, if I can only have one thing, Santa, if you exist, could you please bring Alec his dreams?_

_Thanks,_

_Max_

Santa looked up with a happy expression that was mirrored everywhere he looked. Any doubts of whether Max was what everyone had written about her had been erased. "Well, she is definitely worthy of what we've got planned for her. Let's get to work." With that, Santa stood up and walked out the door, the elves trailing. Several last minute packages were put into his sleigh, and then he was off. As he flew across the sky with the moon shining brightly behind him, he looked down at his home and his family and called out, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a transgenic goodnight!"

* * *

(Just so we're clear, this is not the end quite yet. I will be putting the next, and final, chapter up just as soon as I possibly can.)


	8. And to all a Transgenic Good Night

Title: Dear Santa

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I do. I so totally do. Which means that Alec will, of course, be waiting for me in my stocking Christmas morning. Bring on the Christmas cheer :) So not fair- he wasn't there. Still I figured I'd finish writing this anyway.

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

Rating: K+, just in case

Synopsis: **8**-(short)parter. Snow Day in Las Vegas, NV put me in the mood. It's Christmas time, and several people are writing their letters to Santa. A lot of those letters seem to have a recurring theme. Find out what it is and whether or not Santa will respond. I will update one chapter a day and finish on Christmas Day- It's a Merry Christmas present to my readers.

A/N: Part 8- the final chapter- is up. I'm glad I'm done and yet I'm going to miss it. Even though I knew basically what I wanted to have happen in this chapter, it was without a doubt the hardest to write. It took absolutely forever. Thanks again to all my lovely reviewers. I hope you all like the result :)

A/N2: Oh! And warning- this isn't going to be especially pleasant for a couple of the characters, but since you've already read their letters, I bet you can guess which ones before you get to that part. And for all those who find my characterizations and situations highly improbable, please remember that this is fiction complete with Santa Claus and flying reindeer. More to the point, this is _fan_fiction, as in the author gets to change things to her heart's content. Maybe as I become a better writer, I'll get better at my characterizations and situations as well, but for now, you're gonna kind of have to deal with it as it is if you're going to read it, which I really, really hope you will.

* * *

_8 a.m. Christmas Morning, Max and Original Cindy's place-_

_What is that song? And why is it so loud?_ Max tried to turn over and get back to her dream- a dream where warm hazel eyes, a ready chuckle, and a breathtaking smirk were waiting for her- but the music didn't let her. _Christmas music? What the- It's Christmas!!!_ Wide awake brown eyes flashed open and in a blur Max was out of bed and into the living room where OC was already waiting with a huge cup of steaming cocoa and a matching smile.

"Merry Christmas Boo."

After a tight hug, the two best friends turned to the important task of opening each other's gifts.

* * *

9 a.m. Christmas Morning, Noelle's Cafe-

"I'm sorry Sketchy. I don't know what to tell you. I haven't heard from her in over a month- you know that I'd tell you if I had," Max felt sorry for her friend, but she was also getting tired of having the same conversation with him over and over again. It didn't help that with her transgenic eidetic memory, she could easily rehash each and every other time the subject of Natalie had come up. She was glad that he was finally ready to settle down for real and that he knew who he wanted to be with, but the repetitious statements were becoming annoying, and to be honest, the whole idea that he had figured out who he wanted to be with only after it was too late for him to be with her was hitting a little too close to home. "Why don't you go to vi-"

She was cut off when Sketchy began to poke at his food as though there were something wrong with it. As she watched mystified, he picked his eggs off of the plate. There, in a plastic bag underneath them, were five small yellow pieces of paper. Her mouth dropped open as he picked up the bag and opened it, and plane tickets fell out- one to Granite Falls and four from Granite Falls back to Seattle. "What the?"

Sketchy looked at her as though she had been the one to put the papers there. "What's going on?"

She could feel her posture change to defiant as she responded, "Don't look at me. I didn't put them there."

"Then…" Sketchy looked around as though expecting someone to pop up and yell out, "Got'cha!" but no one else was anywhere near them. He summoned the waitress over and without letting her see what exactly the papers were asked, "Do you know anything about these?"

The waitress tried to see what exactly he was holding as though trying to determine whether or not to claim them for herself, but when he held them just outside her reach decided to go with the truth. "Look, Mister. I'm not sure what you're talking about. I sure as hell didn't give them to you, and I'm the only one who's come by your table since you got here. I was even the one who dished up your plate, so I don't know where those came from." With that she wandered away from their table, wondering what kind of scam they were trying to play.

Sketchy and Max peered closer at the tickets. "11:30 today- this morning," Sketchy almost whispered.

Max smiled, though mystified, "Well, buddy, I guess you got your answer. Somebody wants you going out there to spend your Christmas with her."

Sketchy spent just a few seconds more looking at her as though maybe she had something to do with it. "I guess so." And then he was off and running- he didn't have long to get packed before going to meet his destiny. Neither one thought to question why he had three more return tickets than he needed.

It would turn out to be an eventful trip. After making up with Natalie and proposing a second time (this time fully meaning it), she introduced him to her next door neighbor and new best friend, who just happened to be Kendra. Kendra and her new husband (_Detective_ Walter Eastep) had been thinking of moving back to Seattle for a while now. Sketchy's unexpected arrival proved to be just the exact motivation that all three of them needed to decide to come back home.

* * *

10:07 a.m. Christmas morning, Max and Original Cindy's place-

As she put another batch of chocolate M&M cookies into the oven, OC was humming "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" with a huge smile on her face. The cookies were for Doggie-Dog's party tonight. The only dampener on her plans for the night was the fact that she was going to be alone. Oh, she knew she wouldn't be lonely- all her best friends would be there, but she couldn't help but wish that she had someone to snuggle up and drink egg nog with after the party.

Just as she was setting her timer, she heard a knock on the door. Picking up her bat, she turned to open it just an inch. What she found had her quickly opening up the door all the way. One of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen was standing before her in a silk robe, uncertainty etching her fine features. "Can I help you?" _Please?_

The woman's smile blinded her, "Sorry to bother you. I just moved into the apartment above yours and my electric went out just when I was taking a bath. I heard 'Jingle Bells' coming from your place so I know that you still have electric, and I was wondering if maybe I could use your bathroom for just a few minutes. My girlfriend and I broke up a few months ago and I came here looking for a fresh start- since I'm an Avon saleslady and I can pretty much do that anywhere, I figured here was as good a place as any. I haven't actually met anybody yet, so I guess I'm stuck inconveniencing complete strangers," she blushed prettily.

OC quickly looked to her stereo, which she'd turned off over an hour ago wondering how on earth the woman could have heard the festive yuletide song from her place. However, she knew better than to question a gift horse, so she shrugged, smiled big, and welcomed the woman in. As she ushered her down the hallway towards her bathroom, the woman asked, "You don't happen to know anyone who's looking for some new cosmetics, do you?" OC's mouth dropped open for only a second, and then when she was able to close it again, she began humming "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

* * *

11:20 a.m. Christmas morning, Logan's place-

_What is that noise?_ Max wondered as she let herself into her boyfriend's place. _It sounds like two sick cows bumping into each other._ Without realizing it, she crouched down into a defensive position as she continued moving through the apartment. When she reached the living room, her eyes widened. There on the couch was her boyfriend with a skinny blonde bimbo sitting astride his lap as they attempted amateur tonsillectomies on each other. They were completely ignorant of her arrival, which was good because it took her a second to collect herself. It took one second more for her to realize that her feelings, far from hurt or betrayal, were relief and an enjoyable taste of freedom. Still, there was no way the guy should get away with treating what he thought of as a relationship with her like he was, so she cleared her throat. She was a little pissed that it took clearing her throat three times before the sickening couple noticed her. She felt a little appeased by the guilt-ridden expressions that immediately took up their features as the girl jumped off Logan's lap, accidentally kicking him hard in the groin as she did so.

"Max!!" Logan got out through groans.

Max took up a bored posture and tilted her head, "Yeah?"

"It's not what it looks like. Asha (and here Max flew a bored look in the girl's direction- sure enough it was the S1W leader herself that was quickly turning a deep maroon and trying to button up her shirt) and I were just discussing Christmas gifts." He barely paused as Max's are-you-kidding-me look flew back to him. He didn't notice as the blonde's eyes flew to him as well. "She told me that what she wanted most was a Christmas kiss from someone."

Max didn't look away from his face as she heard the blonde blurt out an angry, "What the hell are you talking about?!! You said that you were going crazy from not being with a woman and that you wanted me- just me- for the rest of your life."

Logan looked a little more like a deer (or should we say mule) caught in the headlights but stuttered out, "She's lying Max. You've got to believe me. After everything we've been through, you know you're the only one I could possibly want to be with. I was just trying to give her her wish. That's all. She doesn't mean anything to me."

Max couldn't help but shake her head. She looked at the other girl with pity- not even she deserved this. Then she turned back to the man who had been playing her for a lot longer than this and in a lot more ways, and adopted a feral predator-stalking-prey stance. As she approached him, she could see him gulp. Even if it wouldn't take just a touch from her to kill him, she could easily find a multitude of interesting and painful ways to do the job, and they both knew it. Even as she enjoyed the look of fear in his eyes, she realized that this was how he had always actually seen her- as something different from him, something less than human (or perhaps more). She felt her lips curl back, but instead of attacking she growled out, "And neither do you." Then, she simply turned around and flounced out the door, an obnoxious smell attacking her nostrils as she went from where the man, whom she had once believed owned her heart, was left sitting in a pool.

Thirty-seven minutes later, after being beaten up by the blonde girl who had left just a few minutes after Max had and after cleaning himself up, Logan was sitting at his desk. He was trying to figure out how to fix things with Max and Asha- after all, both of them were important tools in his missions, plus it was kind of fun having them following him around all gooey-eyed- when he heard the ding of an e-mail arriving. _What now?_ He quickly turned his attentions to the monitor where a mysterious letter waited. There was no return address, only a "SC- North Pole" stated at the top. He was even more mystified when he opened it to read, "Sorry, all the newest, strongest, hi-tech hard drives were already promised elsewhere, but I got you this…" Immediately, there was a knock at his door, and when Logan opened it, he found a small box wrapped in cheap Christmas giftwrap. _This must be some sort of practical joke_, he thought as he looked at it disdainfully. _Still, a gift is a gift_, so he opened it to find a small 5 inch by 5 inch black and white monitor. With a disdainful, "Hmmph," Logan set it aside wondering who he could regift this white elephant to when suddenly a large lump of coal came flying through his penthouse window smashing through his high-quality monitor, bouncing off and destroying his speakers and speeding back through his networked computer drives. As he looked at his destroyed system, all he could think of was "Noooooo!"

* * *

Noon, Christmas Day, Jam Pony-

By the time Max finally made it to work, it was noon. As was her usual, her eyes immediately flashed to _his_ locker to see if he was there or not. And as was her usual, the second she made eye contact, her eyes flew to the other side of the room, trying to pretend that she hadn't been looking for him, that he hadn't seen her seeing him, and that her pulse was now accelerated only because of her bike ride on the way here. It was getting harder and harder to buy into that. When she could feel his eyes boring into her back, she turned back around, only to find the new girl walking up to him and him swinging his eyes to the blonde. _Man, what is it about blondes today?_ she fumed to herself.

She was surprised and secretly pleased to hear him (via her transgenic hearing) give the new girl the brush off and, instead of flirting with any of the number of girls who would have eaten it up, come over to her.

"Morning, Maxie. Merry Christmas!" he said with extra cheer in his voice.

With her usual retort, "Don't call me Maxie," on the tip of her tongue, Max looked up to him, but upon encountering his eyes, the retort died on her lips. Instead, she smiled back at him. "Merry Christmas, Alec," she said huskily. She couldn't help it- it was impossible to be upset with him for anything, or even to pretend to be, when he looked at her like that.

Alec swallowed hard- how was it possible that she couldn't tell what her voice did to him when it dropped to that octave? "Merry Christmas," he stammered out and then was completely entranced when her smile spread, "You already said that." She didn't even notice as she took a step towards him, feeling his pull like a paper clip to a 40,000 volt magnet.

"Yeah, well," he tried to cover, "it's a great holiday, so I figured I should say it twice." _How is it even possible that she can get me this looped when she's only said seven words to me? I am totally pathetic._ He looked down into her eyes. _And I am totally okay with that. If only she wasn't already hooked on someone else._

Somewhat disappointed that his fascination was with the holiday rather than with her, Max turned from him, "Yeah, whatever… and don't call me Maxie."

He smirked- this Max he could handle. It was the other one- the one who looked at him like she could really see him, like he was the only person in the room, like she could actually one day have feelings for him that he didn't know how to respond to. Mostly, because he wasn't sure how much of that was real and how much his desperate mind was imagining. As she started to walk away from him, he easily jogged to catch up to her. "So, you goin' to the party tonight?"

Max stopped and looked back up into his amazing eyes just barely stopping herself from drowning in them in time for her to be able to convince herself that he hadn't noticed. "Of course. I wouldn't miss Joshua's first holiday party. Plus, a bunch of the others will be there, too."

Alec frowned, "So I guess Logan will be coming with you." A look crossed her face that he couldn't quite place.

"No, Logan will not be coming with me to the party or anywhere else for the foreseeable future," she ground out.

Completely clueless as to what this could possibly mean and curious beyond pretension, Alec grabbed her arm as she made to walk away again, "What does that mean?"

Far from being upset with his physical contact, Max could only look at his chest and wonder what it would feel like for him to pull her to it. "It means that I don't plan to be spending any time with him."

Unwilling to be caught in the confusion and hope her statements were bringing, Alec needed more details, "For how long?"

Max finally brought her eyes back up to his and was caught in his expression- it was like he had rolled away a part of the curtain that normally covered his heart and she was a cat basking in the sun during a winter day. She couldn't respond. She couldn't even think straight as they stared into each other's eyes. His grip on her arm became looser, softer, and his eyes became warmer as she looked into them, and then without her realizing it she was moving towards him again. She only knew that she wanted to feel closer to him, maybe even act on the thoughts that had been collecting in her head ever since she had first seen him in her cell so long ago.

Alec had no clue what was going on- why she wasn't answering him, why she was looking at him like that. He only knew that he didn't want her to stop. If she would just look into his eyes like she was now, he'd be content to stay there the rest of his life. When she started moving towards him, he couldn't breathe just in case it would shatter what he was sure must be his imagination. He couldn't break her gaze, and since he had forgotten that there was another living being in the room with them, he had no reason to want to. He could feel the place where his hand was touching her arm begin to burn pleasantly from her warmth. He wanted to feel her closer, he wanted to pull her to him and…

Unfortunately, they were still at work, and, generally speaking, there are other people at work. "Woohoo!!!" came from the pit effectively waking them up from their romantic yearnings. They both turned toward their interruptor with mirror image irritation shaping their brows.

"Alec! You'll never guess what I got just now," Normal began. "That package you just brought in- the one with no address. The only return information for it was a phone number that linked me to some place in the North Pole. They informed me that you were right- the package was for me. Check it out, buddy-bud, I've got tickets to the WWF Holiday Show Massacre tonight at 7- you wanna go?"

Alec barely spared him a second's glance before his eyes went back to Max. "Thanks, Normal, but I've got plans tonight. Why don't you ask Lisa? She loves the WWF." He could see from Max's expression that she misunderstood what his plans for the night were, but before he could explain, Normal had responded, "Well okay then. I've got to get ready. Attention all you nimwits!!! Jam Pony is closed as of now! I'll see you all bright and early tomorrow morning!! (as a cheer went out) Yeah, yeah, yeah, Merry Christmas and all that to you too!" When Alec looked back down he saw that she had taken off.

* * *

1:03 p.m., Christmas afternoon, Miriam's Café in Olympia-

_Now, just what the hell is going on here?_ Lydecker questioned as he walked into the café the anonymous note had told him he needed to come to. As was his style, he had staked it out over the last few hours since receiving the note, but he hadn't seen anything that could make this place overly important to him or his future. Of course, he had still come in through an upstairs window in the storage room just to make sure no one could get the drop on him. As he made his way into the main room, he heard a woman gasp. _That's more like it_, he thought grimly as he pulled out his gun and advanced until he was startled motionless.

Standing there in front of him was Renfro, whom he had thought was dead, but she made no response to his presence. Her entire attention was given to the man standing in front of her. "Sandeman," they both said at once, and the man looked back and forth between the two of them.

Fighting to maintain his sanity- I mean, what were the chances that both of the others would have received notes similar to his? After all, who on earth would be able to track down all three of them with only beneficial purposes in mind?- Deck turned his glance to the window where he saw motion. He knew he must be imagining things as he watched Zack and some man walk down the street and into the same diner he was currently standing in.

Four hours later the whole story had come out. The second man, a man by the name of Herbal Thought, had been crossing through Helena and come across Zack on a farm where he'd been living the life of a farm hand. He recognized Zack as one of Max's friends (as well as the man who'd been hired to replace him until he'd flaked out), but Zack didn't seem to recognize him. However, after an accident, Zack's memory had come back (correctly this time) and he had decided to return to Seattle to help his second favorite little sister out (his first favorite being the one he's in love with- not Max). Herbal decided to come with him seeing as how he missed all of his friends and his woman- he'd moved to Canada to make some money and she hadn't been able to come with him. So they set out together and had made their way to Olympia where a bum had approached them and given them coupons for free meals in this restaurant. It seemed to be some strange set of coincidences that had them arriving at the exact same time as the other three until the owner of the store came out to ask how the hell they'd come across those free meal tickets. As they explained it to him, they were able to tell from his stance that he was ex-military. They all struck up a conversation, and it turned out that he was interested in joining their odd little group and was willing to bring his contacts, who were currently heading up several highly-armed communes up north, with him. They immediately began drawing up plans to head over to Seattle to meet up with Max, find all the other freed transgenics and transhumans to create their own sort of freak nation, and save the world.

* * *

2:30 p.m. Christmas afternoon, Sandeman residence-

Max was over at Joshua's house where he was preparing to host his first (of many) extremely successful transgenic holiday party. _Poor guy is freaking out_, Max thought as she watched him practically blur around trying to get everything done in time. _I'm glad I'm here to help him, but it's too bad he can't go out himself to get supplies. I bet he'd feel more comfortable about all this if he could at least get all the food he wants._ Just then there was a loud noise outside- like someone skidding across half the road. Max was out the door in a flash to see if there was any problem that would indicate an attack on her Big Fella.

Just outside Sandeman's house, in his driveway as a matter of fact, there was a huge truck with the man who was obviously its driver walking around it anxiously. As Max approached, she heard him complaining.

"Dang it! I'm totally screwed. What am I going to do now?"

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"I have a ton of perishables in there. I should have known better than to transport them on Christmas day- it's not like anyone is going to need that many hamhocks within the next couple of hours anyway. No one is going to be able to get to me before they all go bad, and then I'll be out all that money. It'll destroy me. I'll lose my business, my house…"

Max wasn't completely listening anymore. She had just noticed what kind of truck was currently in Joshua's driveway. It was a huge _meat truck_. _What are the chances??? Lucky dog- erm, uh, guy._ She turned to the driver who was still carrying on. "How about we make a deal?"

The guy's eyebrows rose, "What kind of deal?"

"How much did you spend for all the merchandise?" When the guy told her, "How about I give you 80 percent of that and you pick up your truck some time tomorrow?"

"What the heck are you going to do with all that meat???" the guy asked, looking at her as though she were some kind of carnivorous creature.

_If he only knew_, Max thought with some amusement. "My friend lives here and is holding a costume party tonight. He could use the food, you could use the money, it's a win-win."

The guy was satisfied with her answer but not with her price. After some bargaining, Max went up to 90 percent of what the guy had paid (it was the holidays after all and she was feeling generous), and he left with the promise to be by tomorrow to get his truck. Just to be on the safe side, he applied his trucker's club to the steering wheel and brake and took all the money he kept in the cab and his keys with him.

_As though that would stop me if I really wanted to steal this thing, _Max thought with pride in her abilities (she had already begun to realize just how much easier it was to like herself now that Logan was out of the picture) as she bent to see what had caused the accident in the first place. _A nail made out of an icicle? What are the chances???_

* * *

4:45 p.m., Christmas afternoon, street just outside Sandeman's residence-

_Looks like it's going to rain. Again. Tell me again why I haven't split this burg,_ Mole questioned himself as he started to cross the street on the way to Joshua's place. He pulled his hat and coat closer to him- his disguise against being noticed by the people around him. Still, he had been noticed once or twice, and in answer to the questioning glances, he had informed them, "Holiday costume party" even though it went against the grain. Still, it had seemed to appease the Ordinaries and he hadn't been forced to create a scene by shooting any of them. His mind was so on those abnormally observant Ordinaries that he didn't notice as a car ignored the red light and tried to cross the same exact space and time that he was currently occupying. After slamming on the brakes, the driver honked his horn at Mole (as is often the case, it's the person in the wrong who acts as though they've been wronged and then they push their obnoxiousness even further). As Mole went to make a responding gesture, a huge box landed in his open hand. _What the hell?_ he pondered even though he could see that it was a large humidor and he could smell a large stash of high-quality Cubans inside it. As he looked up, something else brown fell to him, or more precisely dripped down on him. "Aw, reindeer crap!"

* * *

5:30 p.m., Christmas evening, Crash-

"Hey, turn that up!! I've seen that guy in here!" one of the customers demanded. One of the bartenders turned around and turned up the news broadcast.

"And recently- bedlam in Port Angeles as a highbrough, and supposedly highly-secretive, party is brought to ruins. Reportedly government agent, though no one is entirely sure which agency claims him and so far none of them have stepped up to do so, Ames White, seen here as he was brought into custody, received a package earlier this morning containing instructions that he was to bring said package to this community party. Details are still scant regarding which community this pictured party actually is, though there has been some conjecture concerning the many individuals with bald heads and robes as well as this pictured snake emblem they possess. Believing the parcel and instructions to be from his superiors, Agent White followed the orders and brought the box to the party. According to police who first arrived on the scene, when the group was involved in some sort of tradition involving snakes, he opened the package for the first time. Chaos ensued as, according to some eyewitness reports, over a dozen mongooses came rushing out of the box- we're not entirely sure how so many of them could have fit into this small box or where the animals currently have gone to. The mongooses immediately began seeking their favorite type of prey. Experts report that the source of the predators, what exactly was occuring at the party involving so many snakes, and what kind of group this was will be fully investigated and reported to the American people as soon as details are available." The extremely public broadcast continued in this way for a while.

* * *

6:42 p.m., Christmas evening, Max and Original Cindy's AND Alec's places-

Knock-knock-knock!

_Who can that be?_ "Who is it?"

No answer.

_Nobody had better be playing jokes. I am in a hurry- I'm already late. Besides, I am SO not in the mood after what went down with him/her today. _The door is opened to reveal that there is no one there, but just before it is slammed shut, a small opalescent, almost glowing package is noticed. The package is seized upon and brought inside to investigate. After determining that it is not a bomb, it is opened.

Max- _What the hell is this plant thing? Why on earth would anyone give me a plant? I always kill these things. Oh! Maybe it's for OC._ She looks at the gift tag. _Nope it's for me. I wonder what it is and why they gave it to me?_

Alec- _What the hell is this thing? Why on earth would anyone give me a vial? 'Cure'- cure for what?_ As he thinks about it, his eyes get wide. _No freaking way. No way on earth would anyone just give this to me… And no way on earth I'm going to just give it to her without getting it checked out first- who knows what it is and what it could do to her. _He blurred to finish getting ready and then raced over to the lab to get his gift checked into.

* * *

7:38 p.m., Christmas evening, Joshua's place-

_That jerk! What a creep! He told Joshua he was coming, but I guess the almighty pick-up was more important. Can't he ever think of anything but his--- _Max's attention was drawn to her Big Fella's laughter. She looked over and saw him standing in the middle of a group of his friends. _Okay, so maybe he's still putting on a brave face, but he's still bound to be wondering where his Middle Fella is. I just can't even believe that Alec is doing this to him. And I am so not covering for his a--_

"Okay, Boo. So I totally know what that look means. Don't worry- your boy is gonna make it. I'm surprised he didn't get here before we did, but he will be comin'. There ain't no way he's gonna let you or Doggie-Dog down like this," Original Cindy came over to sit next to her pouting girl.

_Since when did OC get to know me so well?_ "You're totally off. I'm not wondering where Alec is. He can do whatever, and whoever, he wants. I don't care. (at OC's disbelieving look) I don't. I just feel sorry for Joshua- this is his first big Christmas party, and Alec's skipping it. Probably just too busy with one of his scams or looking for his next freshest piece of tail." _Was that really my voice? Why does it sound so bitter? Why should I care that he's out with his newest flava of the week instead of here with me? And I shouldn't be surprised- didn't he as much as say that he was planning to do this tonight instead of coming here?_

"I don't know about that, Boo," Original Cindy's voice interrupts her. She turns towards where OC is looking and can't help the rosy blush that invades her cheeks.

Original Cindy's eyes bounce back and forth from her boo to the handsome young man coming down the stairs who seems to only have eyes for her friend.

Alec is having difficulty breathing- between what he has just found out and how Max is looking tonight- his heart is beating a mile a minute and his head is swimming. _No one should be allowed to look like that. Especially in public. Maybe if we were alone in my apartment, but not here where I can't do any of the things I'd like to do to her. She looks like an absolute goddess. _When he reaches their table, he addresses OC, "Merry Christmas, Cindy."

"Merry Christmas, Boo," just because she wants to see where this can go between her two friends (after all, she's noticed the way they've been acting around each other for the last few months, since Max came back from Manticore and he followed her actually, and she's been sick of Logan almost ever since she met him- so not worthy of her best friend) she stands up and gives him a big hug, knowing that she was opening the door for the other two to do the same.

Alec looks startled by OC's unexpected affectionate gesture, but he adapts quickly and a big grin plasters itself across his face.

To her surprise, Max can't seem to fight her irritation at watching them hug, even knowing that OC doesn't swing his way.

Wondering if there is any possible way that the woman of his dreams will react similarly to her friend, when OC pulls away, Alec hides his nerves, plasters another big smile on his face, and approaches Max, "Merry Christmas, Max."

Not one to be outdone, Max stands up, takes a silent breath and responds, "Merry Christmas, Alec."

Alec's eyes dilate as he hears the huskiness in her voice as she says his name. _Since when can a woman just saying my name turn me on like this??_ He watches as she stands up and comes towards him, unsure of how he's going to react if she touches him.

Max stands up and goes towards him, uncertainty in her every motion. She's touched him before- plenty of times, but it's never been like this. It's always been to hit him or kick him or express some upset that he's created, even though the truth is that she's always loved being able to touch him for whatever reason he's given her. But now? Like this? With no way to use Logan as an excuse? She goes into his arms and plasters herself to his side, a slight hiss at how wonderful he feels escaping her. She can feel every curve of his strong body and wants to never leave his warm embrace. Without her willing it, one arm sneaks up into his hair, brushing against his barcode as it does so. Without meaning to, she smells his scent and is surprised that there is no other female scent on him, which makes her the first woman to touch him- something primal in her purrs at the thought. A tremor of desire to do more than just touch him courses through her.

Alec fights to keep his eyes open as she presses herself against him- this is his own version of heaven. He had no idea that this could feel this good as his arms wrap around her waist of their own accord and he fights the desire to hold her to him for the rest of forever. A slight "Mmmm" escapes him as he feels every luscious curve press against him. When he feels her hands slide up his chest and one brushes against his barcode coming to rest in his hair, his knees almost buckle. _What is she doing to me? She's not even trying._

OC is watching them with wide eyes. _I guess they didn't need my help after all._ Uncomfortable with watching this very private moment between the two gens, she clears her throat before getting up to leave, realizing too late that she was breaking up their momentum. _Oops! Dammit._

She watches them spring apart but is glad to see that Alec seems unwilling to separate himself too far from Max as he comes to sit down with them.

"So, I got you two something. Do you want it now or later?" he asks.

Both girls look at each other, smile, and answer simultaneously, "Now. Do we look like girls who want to wait for presents?"

Their following laugher sounds like music to the man across from them. He reaches down and pulls out their gifts- a small bottle of Cindy's favorite perfume and something hard to describe for Max. As OC looks at his gift for Max with concern wondering what on earth it is and how on earth he decided this would be a good gift for her, Max lets out an excited gasp. "No! No way you were able to find that! They only made 120 of those for her line."

"Wha-huh?"

Alec answers her while chuckling at Max's response. "I used some of my connections to get a part for her bike."

"A part?" Max says, incredulous at his modesty. "Only if you call the screen 'a part' of a TV. This is the part that triggers the speed mechanism- it'll make my baby faster, more maneuverable, better than every other bike out there, not that she isn't already, but this'll just make her stand out that much more. I can't even believe you found this!" she impetuously leans over and gives him a hug. After she recovers herself, she sits back up but finds that she's sitting closer to him than she was before, like he had pulled her whole body over closer to him (or maybe she had?) while they were hugging. "Thank you," she looks into his eyes shyly.

Alec has never seen her look at him like that, and has a hard time speaking past the protectiveness he feels towards her, "You're welcome."

OC is having a hard time sitting with them when they're acting like this, even though she loves that they are responding to each other so warmly. "So, we got you a little something too." When Alec's eyes flash to her, she pulls out her gift- a bottle of the only kind of cologne he uses. He smiles over the similarity of their gifts. "What can I say, OC? Great minds think alike."

When Alec's questioning eyes turn to her, Max isn't sure what to say. _I should have gotten him something else. There's no way he's going to get this. This is stupid._ So without a word, she pulls his gift box out and lays it on the table.

The question in his eyes is increased as he sees her emotion while he grabs for her gift- he's never seen her so unsure of herself. He takes another second to adapt as another wave of protectiveness washes over him. When he opens the gift and finds Sammy Sosa's 756th home-run ball, his eyes flash to her. Was it possible that she knew what this gift meant? Before when she'd tried to steal it, it had symbolized everything he'd done wrong- how he'd treated her in Manticore, his role in infecting her with the virus, his letting her almost kill Logan (though at the time he'd been pretty happy with the idea that the only thing blocking them from being together was being removed, he had felt remorse for her near-loss later), his forcing her to choose his life over Logan's safety and their relationship… but if she was giving it to him now, didn't that mean that she's forgiven him all those things? He remembered reading four months ago when this ball had been stolen and how the article had reminded him bitterly of that night. But if she'd stolen it that long ago, didn't that mean that she'd forgiven him all that time ago? Was that possible? He hadn't really expected her to ever get over everything in their past that was blocking them from being together now. Was he holding physical proof that maybe he stood a chance with her after all? He looked down into her gentle eyes and could feel the hope that he constantly suppressed blaze to life. He gently rubbed his fingers against the back of her hand. "Thank you," he whispered.

She smiled in response, and he could feel his heart thud painfully. "You're welcome." They dropped into a comfortable silence watching the other partiers enjoy Joshua's festivities.

When the relative quiet had lasted long enough, he turned to her. "So you want to put your part in?" he asked referring to her Christmas gift. He laughed as she practically jumped to her feet, looking as excited as a little child. He waved to OC who was perfectly happy to let them go into the 20 degree temperatures all on their own, not to mention she wanted them to talk this whole dealio out once and for all and chances were better they'd do that when they were by themselves.

It took only a few minutes to install the new piece, but for some reason neither of the transgenics felt in a hurry to return to the party. Instead, they breathed out and watched the air take their breath away, sometimes mixing their two steams as they evaporated. They felt very comfortable in silence, even though they both knew that they should probably be talking about something.

As Alec looked down at her standing beside him, he looks a little past her to her bike, his eyes focusing in on what looked like a very ornately decorated light blue box. There was no way this was just some ordinary gift- its very presence seemed to scream out importance. He realizes as he feels a jab to his heart that is must have come from Logan. Unwilling, unearned, unworthy jealousy attacks him, crippling him with the pain of knowing that he doesn't even deserve to feel that way about her relationship with the older man.

Max has been watching the emotions flicker through his abnormally expressive eyes. She realizes something is wrong and follows his eyes to her package. Confused, she asks, "Is there something wrong?"

"Gift from Logan?" he asks as way of his answer.

"No."

_So she's got another admirer? Well, ain't that just peachy._ "I don' t know Max. How is Logan going to react when he finds out you've got another man on the side?"

Max can feel a little edge of attitude entering her. She's looking at the only man she wants on the side, on her front, on her…, and he's accusing her of being with someone else, "I don't think he'll be reacting in any way. We broke up this morning. Actually, I broke up with him."

Alec's eyes widen and his brows slide up in surprise. His heart forgets that there might be somebody new already and he asks, "Why?" hoping that it might be because of him. She did, after all, get him that ball several months ago.

"Because when I went to see him this morning, I found him making out with Asha."

Alec makes a loud choking noise. _No way. No way even that idiot could be that stupid. _He looks over at her and sees some pain flicker across her face. _I'm going to kill him. It's as simple as that. He's a dead man. _"Are you alright, Max?"

Max's eyes have never left his face as he seemed to mull over her revelation. She wasn't sure what she had seen there. "Yeah, actually I'm fine. In fact, I'm kind of relieved. We've been going back and forth for so long without anything actually happening. It's like you said- we had almost a whole year to be together before the virus showed up. If it was meant to be, it would have happened then."

"Really?" he unconsciously took a step closer to her and took her hand in his as though he'd be able to read the truth of her statement in her touch.

She smiled again- how had she never noticed how much she loved touching him before? "Really."

A small box in Alec's pocket began burning him, and he realized that he had to know the complete and total truth. Her reaction to the contents of that package would tell him if she was truly as relieved as she claimed. He reached into his pants and brought it out. "This is yours."

"What? But you already gave me something."

"It's not from me." At her questioning glance, "Just read the inscription. I've already had it checked out- it's the real deal."

" 'Cure'…What does that-" Max's eyes grew wide with excitement and when Alec nodded that she was understanding correctly, she practically leapt on him. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you." She pulled back slightly to look in his eyes, a bit confused that his arms hadn't encircled her this time. "Thank you so much, Alec."

Her reaction was killing him. _I guess she isn't really over him after all. I shouldn't have been so stupid- just because she's forgiven me doesn't mean that she feels anything for me. Just because she's my whole world doesn't mean that she would even notice if I left. Maybe I should._ He couldn't keep the bitter pain out of his eyes.

And Max noticed it. "What is it, Alec? What's the matter?"

He answered self-protectively, "It's nothing really. I'm just a little late is all." _Too late to matter to you. You already have everything you want._

_So, he does have a date. _Max swallows painfully and begins to pull back from him.

Realizing that he is hardly acting in his own best interests, and yet desperate to keep her as close to him as he can for as long as he can, he asks her before she can fully extricate herself from him, "Why do you ask?"

She can't meet his eyes- she doesn't want him to read her heart in the expression she can feel on her face. "It's nothing really. (She couldn't help but throw his words back at him- words that had told her that she'd been wrong to believe he cared.) I just thought you were going to be hanging with us tonight, for once. But I guess that's asking too much from your libido- to be able to put off finding some new tail for one night."

That was hardly fair. He hadn't gone home with a girl in several months now, and he never would have if they had hooked up at Manticore in the first place. He had realized even in her cell that she was the only one he wanted to be with- that she was the first girl (and only girl for that matter) who had ever made him even consider the possibility of mating with someone for the rest of his life. But she'd fought him there, and he'd realized that he had to become something more than what he was to ever be worthy of her. He had thought that he'd been on the right track for a while now; it hurt to know her opinion of him hadn't changed. And as he thought about the last few minutes of hope he'd been able to feel and how she had just swiped it away from him as though it were nothing, it kind of pissed him off too. In fact, by the time he spoke again, he was seething with anger that she was so incapable of seeing what she had in front of her, that she continued hiding from the truth, that she kept turning to that undeserving waste of skin. "You're wrong," he growled out, "and you don't have the right to say anything either way. You claim to be over Logan," he took another step towards her noting with satisfaction as her breath caught, "but then as soon as that is put to the test, you can't wait to jump right back in with that _Ordinary_." He ground out the word as though it contained everything that was wrong with the world, and in his mind it did.

Max's eyes turned into slits as a part of her responded to his deep voice and the strength of emotion she saw in his darkening orbs. When his words penetrated her fuzzy senses, she tried to shake herself loose. Her desire for him was nearly overwhelming her, but this was important. Her voice came out as a strained whisper, "Alec… (she watched as her gentle voice and use of his name began to soothe him- she felt like someone who has just realized that they have some sort of magical power over someone else) Alec (she said again and nearly melted as the hard edges of his face smoothed out), please try to understand. I am so grateful to you for this (she took a step forward until they were just inches apart, put her hand on the hand that was holding the vial, and put her other hand on his cheek- when he turned his face into her palm, she sucked in her breath, took a step back and put the vial into her pocket at the same time taking out a green something that he couldn't identify), but it's not why you think. I am over him. I don't want to be with him (her gaze fell from his and she began nervously fidgeting with whatever was in her hands) I'm grateful to you for the cure because it means that I'm free of him. I used to blame myself for him being in the chair, but now he's not; and then I blamed myself for getting him found out and targeted by Manticore. (She looked up at him willing him to believe her and was caught by the expression in his eyes, unable to go any further in her explanation for a moment.) I thought the virus was proof of how guilty I was for that, but now you've given me the cure. I won't claim that I don't care because I do (when his eyes fell to the ground, she walked up to him ducking her head to force him to look into her eyes), but not like that. I care about the fact that you gave me this when you obviously didn't want to. Now, if I bump into him on the street, it won't matter. I can treat him just like any other person. Alec, (she kind of rolled the name around in her mouth, realizing just how much she liked the taste of it) we made it through one of my heats together and still nothing happened. Do you think that would be possible if we were meant to be together? (The thought of Max in heat made Alec feel his lower half react. And his mind began to burn with the idea of another man touching her like that.) I'm free of him- thanks to you."

He wanted to believe her, but Logan meant more than just guilt. He knew that she looked at Logan as some sort of savior for the masses and that she believed that he made her into a better person. Alec couldn't believe that she was willing to give all that up so easily, "What about the missions?" he couldn't keep his heart out of his words.

She smiled up at him, "I think we're kind of busy right now as it is trying to save our people."

"We-e?" She still hasn't moved away from him, and it was making it impressively impossible for him to keep his façade of calm up.

"Of course, 'we.' Unless, that is, you have some other appointment, with some buxom blonde or someth-" his angry growl silenced her. She unwillingly got caught in a silent battle of wills as they stared into each other's eyes, her trying to ignore the response his growl had created deep within her.

Finally, realizing that no one would win this particular battle, Alec looked down to her hands where she was still fidgeting with whatever she'd had in her pocket. "What is that?"

His voice was still affecting her processing abilities, so it took her a moment to answer, "I don't know. (She lifted it up so that he could examine it.) It just showed up in a little package outside my apartment this afternoon. The only information on it was a return address from the North Pole."

The mystery somehow made it possible for him to focus- you know cats and curiosity after all. "Just like Normal's package today."

"Yeah."

"And just like the package that this came in," he dropped his hand into her pocket to retrieve the vial, unaware of what having his hand so close to her would do to both of them. He heard her heart speed up and then his joined it as he felt a thousand sparks shoot up and down his arm. As he looked down at her, all he could think of was what he wanted to do to her, in a thousand different positions, in a thousand different places, for the rest of his life.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly as though she was trusting him to have the answer.

"I don't know," he admitted. He had always had these feelings for her, but he had never expected to be able to sense her having similar ones. It left him baffled, and extremely warm inside, though he was still scared to death that he was simply misreading her.

"Do you think something's wrong?"

Her question completely threw him. Until he realized that her eyes were on the vial he was holding and he realized that she was talking about the mystery. His heart began to crumble until he replayed her "_**we**_'re kind of busy right now as it is trying to save _**our**_ people" statement and reminded himself that just because she was capable of thinking of more than one thing at once didn't mean that she didn't feel something back. He tried to focus, after all if there was a chance someone was going to try to attack them, he was going to make damned sure he was prepared to protect her, "Well, if someone was trying to hurt us, I think they'd do it in some way other than free tickets for Normal, the real cure for the virus, and mistletoe."

"Mistle-what?" she said with a cute confused look on her face.

A smile came to his face as his highly efficient mind came up with a plan. "Mistletoe. Here I thought you had the drop on all the real world stuff. You really don't know what it's for?"

Hating the feeling of not knowing something that he did, Max looked up at him with suspicious eyes. Yet even while still in the dark, she wasn't able to hide the smile that spread across her face matching his own. "No, do you?" She had the sudden impression that she was going to like his explanation.

Gently, slowly, he took the mistletoe from her hand and moved towards her. He watched her instinctively move a tiny inch away from him, but she was stopped by the wall behind her. "It's for this," he whispered as he lifted it above her head and, after a second of searching her eyes, leaned into her.

As soon as she realized what he was doing, her eyes widened, but when she saw the look of desire in his eyes, she could feel her own turning into little slits. As she saw his lips coming closer and closer, she closed her eyes, anticipation making her slightly giddy.

Unsure of what he was doing, Alec almost stopped when he saw her eyes widen, but then when her eyes narrowed in passion, his body went on autopilot. At the first touch, he could feel his senses scream that they had finally found the right person. His mind and heart laughed at them because it had taken them this long to figure it out.

Their kiss was gentle, unsure, wondering at first. Then, as Max's senses caught up with his own, having made the same realization that his had, the kiss deepened, quickened. Suddenly, they couldn't seem to get enough of each other- their taste, their smell, their passion and desire. Their bodies became honed to each other, and they both wondered how they'd ever survived without this before. Even their inner selves, the ones that they never showed to anyone except their enemies right before they ripped them apart, were purring at having finally met their mate. Time stopped; they couldn't remember the last breath they took and they didn't care. This was where they were supposed to have always been, and it had taken so much of their lives to find it. They weren't ready to give it up for something as insignificant as air.

So it was probably doing them a favor when Joshua yelled out into the night, "Little Fella? Medium Fella? Where'd you go?" Love for their favorite transhuman (which is probably the only thing that saved his life from both their hands at his having interrupted them) and concern for his safety (he shouldn't be going out into the neighborhood looking for them) had them breaking apart, though Alec's arm remained firmly around her waist. Neither of them was ready to be physically separated.

"Coming Joshua!" Max yelled out. Then she turned toward Alec, "I hope you know I don't like sharing, and I don't do notches."

Alec looked down at her, "Ditto. And the only tally I'm interested in taking is how many days I get to spend with you."

Max leaned onto her tiptoes and gave him another kiss. "Oh, I don't think there are going to be any shortage of those." As she leaned back, her hand slightly grazed the back of his neck. "Nights either," she added with a gruff note of possessiveness in her voice that sent a thrill down his back.

Catching her hand and holding it to his barcode, Alec hoarsely responded, "There better not be. I'm planning on making this permanent."

Max was surprised, but extremely pleased that her mate had already stated his intentions. "Good." She smiled as her response was rewarded by another kiss. And then she sighed happily- how had she ever lived without this? Without this wonderful perfect-for-her man by her side?

Alec looked down in concern at her sigh but was content when he saw her smile up at him. "Well, we should we get in there. We have some people we should probably share this with."

Max beamed up at him as she realized that his hand had yet to move from her waist. She leaned into him as they walked back in Joshua's door.

_

* * *

_

11:59 p.m., Christmas day, Path back to Max and Original Cindy's place-

The happy couple was meandering, and they knew it. It had turned out to be a white Christmas after all, a practically unheard of experience in Seattle's humidity. Thanks to good old Manticore genetics, the cold didn't affect them like it did Ordinaries, which meant that they had the street basically to themselves.

The night had only gotten better after their outdoor conversation. Though Alec had made a point of keeping his hand on her, a sure sign to all the other transgenics in the room that Max was taken, they had been careful to make sure that OC's ears were the first to have the knowledge dropped on them. The girl had been slightly surprised that it had all happened so fast, though to them it felt like it had taken forever and simultaneously that it had happened so long ago that it was just the way it had always been, but she was also overjoyed for her friends.

Joshua was the next to find out, and after that they didn't really have to tell anyone else- Joshua was so excited that he was nearly jumping up and down while yelling out, "Max and Alec getting busy!! Max and Alec getting busy!!"

They could tell that almost everyone else was happy for them (there were of course several male and female gens who had been hoping for their chance), and everyone had been expecting it sooner or later. At one point, Max had looked up at Alec who was currently receiving a hearty thump on the back with a huge smile on his face (it was practically like they'd just announced their engagement considering how everyone was reacting- she wondered how long it would be until that were the case) and whispered, "Sooner?"

He looked down at her, "Definitely."

Max smiled as she realized how long ago they'd started understanding each other to the point where they only needed to share one word sentences in order to be able to communicate how glad they were that them getting together had happened sooner than the inevitable later.

And now, as they wandered the streets slowly on the way back to her home (OC had subtly informed them that she was going to be staying in the apartment above theirs tonight), they were sharing all the thoughts and feelings that a happy couple usually does. They were comparing their memories, starting with the first night they'd met, sharing how some of their emotions had changed and how some hadn't. Now that they were truly together, they both found the courage to share the parts of themselves that they had always hidden, the parts that had always known they were destined to be together. They were happier than they'd ever thought possible, and Alec still had yet to let go of her.

As they stopped to look silently at some of the Christmas lights shining out from under the snow on a nearby house, Max looked up at her mate. Even though they hadn't made "forever" official, she knew that one day they would. She couldn't fight the smile that took over her face. Without a doubt, she had gotten the better end of the deal- she couldn't imagine finding a better man to share the rest of her life with. She pinched herself to make sure it was all really happening.

Alec felt her squirm and looked down at her in question. Just like he always would be, he was caught by her beauty, knowing it was the inner her that stole his breath away. _How did a guy like me ever get to be this lucky?_ he wondered. Without a doubt, he knew that he was getting the better end of this deal. He couldn't wait to make "forever" with Max official. He'd do it tomorrow- tonight- if she'd go for it, but he knew that even though she might not be the traditional frills-and-lace type of girl, she'd still want some things to be what was considered the norm. Although what could possibly be considered normal about either of them or their situation was beyond him. Still, he could understand her wanting all of their friends to be there, and that was going to be harder for them than it was for most Ordinaries. Wanting confirmation that this was really happening, he needed to hear her voice again, especially now that is was full of such wonderful heart-tugging emotion, so he whispered, "Penny for your thoughts?"

She smiled up and hugged into him, barely whispering, "So, did you get everything you wanted this Christmas?"

Under the millions of stars that were shining down on them, he looked at her thoughtfully. "No." He practically laughed out loud at how her smile quickly turned into a little girl's pout. Then he bent down to her and touched his lips to hers. After a moment, he pulled his head back, "Now I have." And then because her lips were looking awfully cold (and lonely) he bent his head back to the enjoyable lifelong task of warming them, neither one noticing the faint sound of sleighbells in the distance.


End file.
